Hostages taken in Mali

[Cldedhnds]

Mali hotel attack: '170 hostages seized' in Bamako - BBC News

 

[cobber]

It's the NRA's fault!

IBGFGT.

 

[OutdoorDad]

Sad situation.

Hard to deal with someone who's sole purpose is to start Armageddon.

 

[Expat]

One can't help but wonder what the folks in Mali may have done to have brought this about.

 

[chef larry]

Not the first time for violence there.

 

[miguel]

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Seems to be tied to the French situation, which is why I posted this in that thread. Explosions, shots fired, French soldiers are among the hostages

Gunmen Take 170 Hostage at Radisson Hotel in Bamako, Mali - NBC News

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Gunmen reportedly freeing Bamako hotel hostages who could recite Quran

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats...-hostages-recited-quran.html?via=twitter_page

 

[ArcadiaGP]

US special forces assist in Mali hotel hostage recovery


US State Department says US citizens 'might be' present in Mali hotel and they are 'working to verify'

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Is INGO sleeping in this morning?

Africa Live: Mali hotel stormed to free hostages - BBC News

US special forces helping to move people to safety in Bamako as Malian forces clear hotel of gunmen, Pentagon says

 

[nakinate]

Not sleeping. But what else is there to say? Another day with Islamic extremists on the war path.

 

[T.Lex]

Yeah, at some point this will become mundane. Like domestic violence, global warming, and conspiracy theories.

 

[T.Lex]

Wow. Mali seems like a perfect mix for Daesh: French, American, Russian citizens. Who knew?

Russian news site Life reports that the Russian consulate has said two Russians working for the airline Ulyanovsk are among the people who have escaped the hotel attack in Bamako, Mali.

Also looks like reports of another active shooter in a different location.

 

[actaeon277]

 

[eldirector]

I'm just glad this JV team is contained, isn't sneaking into other countries, and certainly isn't aligned with any particular religion. This is just another isolated incident, and all is well in the world.

 

[Sylvain]

French GIGN is en route.French Special Forces already reeponding at the hotel.

 

[Jludo]

Has it been said anywhere who's responsible? Is that Boko Haram territory?

 

[T.Lex]

Has it been said anywhere who's responsible? Is that Boko Haram territory?

Right on cue, BBC reporting that...

The Reuters news agency is reporting that the jihadist group al-Murabitoun has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako.
It made the announcement on its Twitter account, Reuters says, but the claim could not be verified.
Al-Murabitoun is made up of two groups which broke away from a North African branch of al-Qaeda.

I hadn't actually heard of that group before, I don't think.

 

[T.Lex]

Some pics of the rescue efforts show this older guy.

Very curious who he is. Partly because I am reminded of an old aviation adage: there are old pilots and there are foolish pilots, but there are no old, foolish pilots. I suspect that guy has accomplished some badassery over the years.

 

[Jludo]

There seem to be similarities between these kinds of events and mass shootings in the US. Mainly that if you're an unknown terrorist group what's the best way to become known? Kill a bunch of innocent people *from western countries* and the news media will plaster your name everywhere for the next month. I think they'd still kill innocent people even if no one ever saw it on the news but I do think it's a interesting dynamic.