All hostages held by Islamist gunmen at a luxury hotel in Mali have been freed, officials say.
There are now "no more hostages", Malian officials confirmed on Friday following an assault by special forces.
An African Jihadist group linked to al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for today's attack on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako.
Al-Mourabitoun made the claim on Twitter, though it has not yet been verified. The group is based in northern Mali, according to Reuters.
170 people, including 30 members of hotel staff, were taken hostage this morning by gunmen who stormed the building, firing their weapons and shouting "Allahu Akbar" – "God is great".
Malian state media said that 80 hostages were freed by noon local time, but an update on the hotel's website posted at 1pm said that 124 guests and 13 employees were still being held in the building. According to security sources, a number of those released by the gunmen were let go once they had proved they could recite verses from the Koran.
Malian special forces entered the hotel this afternoon in an attempt to free the remaining hostages. Three people have been shot dead – one of whom is thought to be a French national – and two soldiers were injured.
According to the BBC, the US Department of Defense is assisting the release efforts. An official said that around 25 military personnel were already in Bamako before the attack, and some are now helping "with moving civilians to secured locations, while Malian forces clear the hotel of hostile gunmen."
A spokesperson for the French national security service said that about 40 special police forced based in Bamako were also taking part in the rescue effort.
The incident comes a week after the terror attacks in Paris that killed 129 people on 13 November. The shootings and bombings at several locations in the French capital were coordinated by Islamic State militants.
