Vladimir Putin has sought global cooperation in the anti-terrorism fight. His appeal has come after ISIS terrorists stormed a luxury hotel in Mali and mercilessly killed 19 people.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appealed for global cooperation in battling terrorism after Islamist militants attacked a luxury hotel in Mali and murdered 19 innocent civilians, of whom six were Russian, reported Times Live. Friday’s assault comes exactly a week after ISIS killed 130 in gun and bomb attacks in Paris, and about three weeks after the terror group claimed responsibility for downing a Russian passenger jetliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.
On Friday, ISIS militants stormed the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako and were reported to have taken hostages. As news trickled outside the hotel, it was believed that the militants had almost 170 hostages, most of them foreigners. The Malian military took positions and carried out an anti-insurgency operation. Though they managed to kill two terrorists, the militants had already killed at least 19 people, reported Reuters . The siege and methods were quite similar to the Mumbai attacks with a few heavily armed men, taking as many hostages as possible and spreading terror till they were either killed or they ran out of bullets. Either way, it was certain the attackers may have predetermined that weren’t coming out alive from the siege.
The bloody assault ended only after Malian commandos stormed the building. Though they managed to rescue 170 people, many of them foreigners, the militants had murdered 19 before being killed by the military. Russia’s foreign ministry confirmed that six employees of Russian regional airline Volga-Dnepr were killed, but six others were rescued. China confirmed three Chinese executives of a state-run railway firm died in the Mali attacks. An American public health specialist, identified as Anita Datar, was killed. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said two Belgians died, while an Israeli national was also killed. Incidentally, there were no French nationals that died in the attack, indicated French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Jihadist groups al-Mourabitoun and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have claimed responsibility for the gruesome terrorist attack, and have vowed that there will be more such attacks coming in the near future.
The parent organization, ISIS, had recently released videos threatening Russia with a “Soon, Very Soon” message, and thereafter it had warned America and other countries that have been engaged in the battle against the terrorist group in Syria. The joint effort to combat ISIS in Syria has been dubbed as the “Crusader Campaign,” which has seen active cooperation from America, Russia, France, and a number of other countries.
The Malian government has been facing rising insurgency from rebels and militants in its desert north for years. Mali is a former French colony, and French troops as well as U.N. peacekeepers have always had a tough time restoring and maintaining peace in the West African state.
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita confirmed that the military was able to neutralize two militants in the commando operation, and added that his government has increased security at strategic points around Bamako, reported NewsMax. Though Mali is now under a 10-day state of emergency, President Keita confirmed that the West African state won’t come to a standstill.
“Mali will not shut down because of this attack. Paris and New York were not shut down and Mali won’t be. Terrorism will not win.”
Vladimir Putin may have sought global cooperation in anti-terrorism operations. However, judging by the attacks ISIS has been orchestrating and the number of foreign nationals it has killed, it may not be long before nations will unite and jointly step up their activities to combat the terrorist group.
[Photo by Yuri Kadobnov/Getty Images, Habibou Kouyate/Getty Images]