Update:
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) -- A U.S. military official says at least six Americans have been evacuated from the Radisson Blu hotel.
U.S. military personnel already stationed in the country have been helping take people from the hotel to safety.
Col. Mark R. Cheadle, a spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command, says the U.S. military hasn't received any other requests for help responding to the attack, but that the United States will continue assisting the French with intelligence and surveillance in Mali.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls meanwhile is expressing his support for Mali, France's former West African colony, saying it is a country "that fights jihadism so bravely."
___
Update:
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) -- A Malian military official says at least three people are confirmed dead in an attack on a hotel in the capital where more than 100 hostages are believed to be held.
Lt. Col. Diarran Kone told The Associated Press that the deaths were confirmed after gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu hotel Friday morning.
At least 170 hostages were believed to have been taken, though some 20 were freed later in the morning and others managed to escape with the help of security forces.
The Malian military said 10 gunmen stormed the hotel shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great," in Arabic before firing on the guards.
Ambulances were rushing to the hotel as a military helicopter flew overhead. The U.N. mission said it was sending security reinforcements.
___
Update:
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) -- A Malian army commander says about 20 hostages have been released from a hotel in the capital that was seized by gunmen throwing grenades.
The gunmen had seized about 170 hostages on Friday morning at the Radisson Blu Hotel. Military commander Modibo Naman Traore told The Associated Press that about 20 hostages were freed later in the morning.
It was not immediately clear why the group was freed or how many exactly remained held by the militants.
Traore said 10 gunmen stormed the hotel shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great," in Arabic before firing on the guards and taking hostages.
Some guests also have been able to escape the hotel. Monique Kouame Affoue Ekonde, an Ivorian, said she and six other people were escorted out by security forces.
___
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) -- The company that runs the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali's capital says assailants have taken 170 hostages in a brazen assault involving grenades.
The Brussels-based Rezidor Hotel group said the assailants had "locked in" 140 guests and 30 employees.
Malian army commander Modibo Nama Traore said 10 gunmen stormed the hotel Friday morning shouting "Allahu Akbar" or "God is great" in Arabic before firing on the guards and taking hostages.
The U.S. and French embassies asked their citizens to take shelter where they are in Bamako.
Following a military coup in 2012, Islamic extremists took control of northern Mali, prompting a French-led military intervention in early 2013. The extremists were scattered from northern towns and cities, though the north remains insecure and militant attacks have extended south this year.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
