Jihadists attack resort in Mali’s capital, killing 2

BAMAKO, Jun 19: Jihadists attacked a hotel resort on Sunday in Mali’s capital, taking hostages at a spot popular with foreigners on the weekends. More than 30 people managed to escape though at least two people were killed, authorities said.
Moussa Ag Infahi, director of the national police, told The Associated Press that three of the assailants had been killed while a fourth escaped.
Gunfire first rang out at the Campement Kangaba on the outskirts of Bamako in the late afternoon, according to a security guard who was working at the time.
Mahamadou Doumbia said a militant on a motorcycle entered the area around 3:40 p.m. and cried “Allah Akbar” before jumping off and running towards the pool area.
“Then a car with three jihadists entered the resort and they started to fire their weapons,” he said. “A French soldier who had come for the weekend but had his gun shot and wounded a jihadist.’’
Mali’s security minister later issued a statement confirming at least two deaths, one of which was a dual French-Gabonese citizen.
As night fell, witnesses saw smoke rising from the Campement Kangaba, which features three swimming pools and is a popular escape from the Malian heat. It was not immediately clear what was burning, although jihadists in other attacks have set cars ablaze.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place amid the final week of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In predominantly Muslim Mali, people have been fasting from sunrise to sundown for three weeks.
Sunday’s violence came about a week after the US State Department warned of possible attacks on Western diplomatic missions and other locations in Bamako that Westerners frequent.
A UN official who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to journalists said those at the resort when the attack began included people affiliated with the French military mission, as well as the UN and European Unionmissions in the country.
Religious extremism in Mali once was limited to northern areas, prompting the French military in 2013 to lead a military operation to oust jihadists from power in the major towns in the north. But the militants have continued targeting Malian forces and peacekeepers, making it the deadliest U.N. mission in the world.
There are no French troops based in Bamako, but about 2,000 French troops are based in northern Mali fighting Islamic extremists. French President Emmanuel Macron was informed about the attack and was following the events carefully, according to an official in his office.
In recent years, the jihadists have become even more brazen, attacking sites frequented by Westerners. In March 2015, five people died when militants hit a popular restaurant in the capital. A devastating attack on the Radisson Blu Hotelin Bamako later that year left 20 dead - six Malians and 14 foreigners.Converting soft loans into commercial credit means Bangladesh will have to pay higher interest for the loan amount, Bangladesh officials told ET from Dhaka over phone.
Bangladesh signed $25 billion deals with China for nearly two and a half dozen projects during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dhaka in October last year. Chinese officials have claimed that Beijing had not promised that all the projects signed between the two sides during the president’s visit would be implemented on the G2G (government to government) basis. The Chinese officials believe that Bangladesh could jointly fund the projects. But Bangladesh government officials argue, when the agreements are signed at the level of leaders, especially in the presence of two heads of government, the loans are treated as soft loans.
Compared to the Chinese approach India’s support of $ 7.5 billion Line of Credit for slew of development projects are offered at a concessional rates. Interest rates of India’s Line of Credit to the neighbouring countries are as low as one per cent or even less in some cases. China told Bangladesh that it a detailed list outlining how much of the $25 billion for 34 projects would be treated as soft loans, how much as commercial credit and how much to be contributed by the Bangladesh government.
In recent years, the jihadists have become even more brazen, attacking sites frequented by Westerners. In March 2015, five people died when militants hit a popular restaurant in the capital. A devastating attack on the Radisson Blu Hotelin Bamako later that year left 20 dead - six Malians and 14 foreigners.
That attack was jointly claimed by both the regional al-Qaida affiliate and a group known as Al Mourabitoun, which was founded by Moktar Belmoktar after he fell out with al-Qaida leaders.
In a video released in March, jihadists said those two were joining together along with two Mali-based terror groups.
That attack was jointly claimed by both the regional al-Qaida affiliate and a group known as Al Mourabitoun, which was founded by Moktar Belmoktar after he fell out with al-Qaida leaders.
In a video released in March, jihadists said those two were joining together along with two Mali-based terror groups. Agencies