Armed jihadists have gone on a deadly shooting rampage inside the Radisson Blu hotel (pictured) in the centre of Bamako, Mali
Terrified civilians run for their lives through the streets of Bamako after escaping the hotel siege
Chaotic scenes near the Radisson Blu hotel, where dozens of guests have been held hostage by gunmen
Military officers prepare outside the hotel, where as many as 10 gunmen have taken hostages
Heavily armed Malian troops take up position over the Radisson Blu hotel in the country's capital Bamako
Worried locals stand and watch from a distance near the Radisson Blu hotel during the siege
Armed
jihadists have killed at least three people in a deadly shooting
rampage and taken 170 hostages at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako,
Mali.
Automatic
weapons fire has been heard on the seventh floor of the 190-room hotel,
where it is thought as many as 10 militants have been going floor to
floor and taken 140 guests and 30 members of staff hostage.
Witnesses
described how the gunmen allowed around 20 hostages to leave safely
after they proved they were able to recite verses of the Koran to the
militants.
No
group have claimed responsibility for the hotel attack, which is
frequently used by Air France crew, although Al Qaeda affiliated
militants have previously carried out attacks in Mali.
Several
witnesses have claimed that the gunmen entered the hotel in a car with a
diplomatic number plate before opening fire in the building.
'It's all happening on the seventh floor, jihadists are firing in the corridor,' a security source said.
Two
Malians and one French national have been killed while two workers for
Turkish Airlines and 10 Chinese nationals are thought to be among the
hostages.
Five other Turkish Airlines employees have managed to escape from the hotel, Turkish officials confirmed.
The horrific terror attacks comes just a few days after ISIS gunmen massacred 129 people on the streets of Paris.
Suicide bombers targeted the Stade de France, cafes and restaurants as well as taking dozens of hostages at a death metal concert at the Bataclan theatre.
The co-ordinated attack was later claimed by ISIS, leading to a mass police hunt for one of the surviving gunmen and the ringleader of the deadly attack.
Fears remain that the attack in Bamako may be linked or inspired by the Paris attack, where French nationals were targeted for the government's decision to carry out air strikes against ISIS.
Mali, a former colony of France, has been battling several terror groups, predominantly located in the north of the country.
French special forces have been assisting the Malian army in their long standing counter-terrorism operation against militants from Ansar ad-Din, al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and Tuareg rebels.
Army officers direct several of the hotel guests to safety. Witnesses describe how the gunmen tested each guest about their knowledge of the Koran
Witnesses described hearing at least one explosion coming from the hotel, which is a popular choice for foreign dignitaries visiting Mali
No group have claimed responsibility for the attack but Al Qaeda affiliated militants have previously carried out attacks in the Sahel based country
The shooting in Mali follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare.
Four soldiers, five UN workers and four attackers were killed in the deadly attack, thought to have been carried out by Al-Qaeda linked militants.
Islamist groups have been waging attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.
Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013.
Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.
French troops have been working in Mali as part of a joint anti-terrorist operation in the troubled Sahel region
Mali has been battling with jihadi militants, predominantly in the north of the country
MALI'S LONG BATTLE WITH TERRORISM AND REBELLION
In 2012, a major rebellion against Mali's government heralded the rise of terrorism across the country.
It was led by the nomadic Tuareg rebels and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a military organisation partly made up of former Libyan soldiers.
The MNLA took control of the north and declared independence for the unrecognised state of Azawad.
But Islamist groups including Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), who helped MNLA defeat the government, turned on the indigenous Tuareg and seized the north with the goal of implementing sharia law in Mali.
The French army launched Opération Serval in January 2013 and recaptured most of the north a month later.
Islamists continued to operate in the north and began spreading into central and southern areas at the start of this year.
On 6 March, extremists shot dead five people, including two Europeans, in a restaurant in the country's capital Bamako.
The dead bodies were strewn outside a popular nightclub in the city after the attack which took place overnight.
The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to northern parts of Mali, where Islamist groups are said to operate, and all but essential travel to southern areas including Bamako.
It warns there is a 'high threat of terrorism and kidnap' in areas north of Mopti but 'the threat exists throughout the country'.
The FCO warning adds: 'Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.'
It adds the situation in the country remains unstable and travellers should take several days worth of food and water 'in case disturbances take place'.
The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to northern parts of Mali, where Islamist groups are said to operate, and all but essential travel to southern areas including Bamako
source:Daily Mail