Around 7 AM local time [November 20], terrorists attacked and seized scores of hostages in aluxury hotel in the Malian capital of Bamako. Witnesses to the attack stated that the attackers arrived in a vehicle bearing diplomatic plates.
Hotel Raddison is used by UN diplomatic staff and is popular with tourists making the hotel a perfect target to gain international attention. Soft targets such as hotels have been frequently targeted by terrorists worldwide because of lax security and the potential for taking numerous hostages.
In this case, security wasn’t much better, but the quick reaction of Malian special forces certainly helped in bring the attack to a quick resolution. Bamako did request the assistance of French special forces in the country that has been helping with the overall security situation and US special forces played a role as well.
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