4 'jihadists' killed, 5 arrested after Mali resort attack

Mali's government said today five suspected jihadists were in custody after an assault on a popular tourist resort near the capital, Bamako, which left two civilians dead.

Four attackers were killed at the scene, Security Minister Salif Traore told AFP, while 36 hostages were freed following the incident at the Kangaba Le Campement resort on yesterday afternoon, the majority of them French and Malian.

Jihadists constantly target domestic and foreign forces in Mali's troubled north and centre, but attacks on civilians in and around the capital are much rarer, with the last major incident in November 2015 when gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu hotel.

That attack, which killed 20 people, caused the government to instate a state of emergency which has been in place more or less ever since.

Residents living close to the Kangaba resort had first reported the attack after hearing shots while smoke billowed into the air, with at least one building ablaze, and special forces remained on the scene today, Traore said.

A witness interviewed on local television ORTM said he saw a man arrive on a motorcycle who "started shooting" followed by "two or three people" who came in another vehicle.

So far, no group has yet claimed responsibility.

Traore told

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)