Figured this deserved it's own thread....Prayers for the victims.....
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.france24.com/en/20160313-aqim-qaeda-ivory-coast-attack
Al Qaeda affiliate claims Ivory Coast beach resort attack
© Sia Kambou, AFP | An emergency worker carries a young boy who was injured during an attack on the beach at the hotel Etoile du Sud in Grand Bassam on March 13, 2016
Video by FRANCE 24
Text by FRANCE 24 Follow france24_en on twitter
Latest update : 2016-03-14
Al Qaeda’s North African affiliate claimed Sunday’s deadly attack by heavily armed gunmen on the Ivory Coast beach resort of Grand-Bassam, in which at least 16 people were killed, US-based monitors said.
In a message posted on its Telegram channels, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said three of its “heroes” had stormed the Grand-Bassam resort, according to US-based SITE Intelligence Group.
One witness also told AFP that they heard one of the assailants shouting “Allahu Akbar” – Arabic for “God is greatest” during the deadly assault.
The attack, which targeted three hotels popular among westerners about 40 km (25 miles) east of the commercial capital Abidjan, resulted in the deaths of 14 civilians and two special forces troops, President Alassane Ouattara said. Ivory Coast’s president also informed the press Sunday that six gunmen had been “neutralised”.
Ivory Coast Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko said foreign citizens from France, Germany, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon were among the victims. He also told state television that authorities were in possession of a mobile phone they hoped would prove a valuable lead in finding those responsible for the attack.
"It was truly, truly, terrifying, it was indeed terrorists,” eyewitness Marie-Claire Yapi, who was separated from her nine-month old baby and her sister in the chaos, told FRANCE 24. “Someone said to me: 'Run, this is serious – they are killing everyone.' The people who were there told us that once these men started speaking in Arabic, at that moment they thought that it was terrorists.
>>> For more on the attack, read our coverage of the day's events.
‘A war between AQIM and France’
Wassim Nasr, FRANCE 24’s expert on jihadi movements, said that the attack should be considered part of the group’s war against the West, especially France.
“We should look at this as a war between jihadi groups – especially Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – and France,” he said. “They target wherever they see French interests, or French or [other] Western citizens. They are trying to export their war to Western Africa. So I suspect that more attacks will happen in this region.”
‘A war between AQIM and France’
The deadly assault bore grim similarities to other recent attacks in West Africa. Barely two months ago, Islamists killed dozens of people in a hotel and café frequented by foreigners in neighbouring Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou. Gunmen also attacked a hotel in the Malian capital Bamako late last year.
Both of those attacks were also claimed by AQIM and raised concern that militants were extending their reach far beyond their traditional zones of operation in the Sahara and the arid Sahel region.
Though previously untouched by Islamist violence, Ivory Coast, French-speaking West Africa’s largest economy and the world’s top cocoa producer, has long been considered a target for militants.
International condemnation
As the scale of the tragedy become evident, regional and world leaders expressed their support for Ivory Coast, which has recently emerged from a decade of political turmoil and civil war to become one of the world’s fastest growing economies.
France’s President François Hollande denounced the shootings in the former French colony as a “cowardly attack.”
“France will bring its logistical support and intelligence to Ivory Coast to find the attackers. It will pursue and intensify its cooperation with its partners in the fight against terrorism,” he said in a statement.
President Macky Sall of Senegal, another country considered a likely target for AQIM, called upon West African countries to step up their cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
Date created : 2016-03-13
--
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://abc7news.com/news/6-armed-men-shoot-beachgoers-at-3-ivory-coast-hotels/1244036/
6 armed men shoot beachgoers at 3 Ivory Coast hotels
AP-Updated 8 mins ago
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- At least six armed men attacked beachgoers outside three hotels Sunday in Grand-Bassam, sending tourists fleeing through the historic Ivory Coast resort town. Bloody bodies were sprawled on the beach in photos apparently taken at the scene and posted on social media.
Ivory Coast's government said security forces have "neutralized" the six attackers on three hotels, and said that security sweeps are being carried out.
Officials did not say immediately how many were killed or injured.
"A detailed toll will be communicated in the coming hours," State Minister Hamed Bakayoko said in the statement. "We urge the public to remain calm."
The bursts of gunfire sent people running from the beach at Grand-Bassam, a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular destination for Ivorians and foreigners about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Abidjan, Ivory Coast's commercial center. It was the third major attack on a tourism center in a West African country since November.
"We don't know where they came from, and we don't know where they've gone," said a receptionist at the Etoile de Sud hotel in Grand-Bassam. Everyone in the hotel was safe, and gendarmerie were present, he said. He would not give his name.
Beachgoers could be seen lining up with their hands above their heads as they filed out of the area. Residents who heard the gunfire hid in their homes, said Josiane Sekongo, 25, who lives across from one of the many beachfront hotels.
An American embassy delegation was in Grand-Bassam on Sunday, but the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan said it is monitoring the situation and has no evidence U.S. citizens were targeted, nor confirmed reports that any were harmed.
Dozens of people were killed in the earlier attacks on West African tourist sites, starting with a siege at a Malian hotel in November and then an assault on a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso in January. Analysts have warned for months that Ivory Coast, which shares a border with both of those affected countries, could be hit by jihadists as well. The West African attacks indicate that extremist attacks are spreading from North Africa, where a beach attack in June killed 38 people in Tunisia.
"I have always said that Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Dakar (Senegal) are the next targets for jihadist groups because these two countries represent windows of France in Africa," said Lemine Ould M. Salem, an expert on al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and author of a book "The Bin Laden of the Sahara."
He said the attackers could be from Moktar Belmoktar's al-Mourabitoun, but that Boko Haram should not be ruled out. The Nigeria-based Boko Haram pledged to the Islamic State last year
The Latest on the beach attack in Ivory Coast (all times local):
7:07 p.m.
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara confirms that two special forces were killed in the attacks, in addition to the 14 civilians and six assailants.
6:58 p.m.
Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara says that 14 civilians and six assailants have been killed when the armed men attacked beachgoers and three hotels in Grand-Bassam.
Ouattara is in the town and says he is visiting the different hotels to express condolences and salute security forces for their quick responses.
___
6:45 p.m.
A hotel owner says at least one person was killed at his hotel, and a reporter saw four dead bodies on a beach in Ivory Coast's historic southeastern town of Grand-Bassam.
The four bodies were sprawled out on the beach next to the popular hotel Etoile du Sud after gunmen attacked beachgoers outside three hotels Sunday in Grand-Bassam. Security forces and members of the Ivorian Red Cross were clearing the bodies.
Jacques Able, who identified himself as the owner of Etoile du Sud said one person had been killed at the hotel.
Marcel Guy said he saw at least four gunmen with Kalashnikov rifles on the beach. He said one approached two children, and spoke in Arabic. One child knelt and prayed, the other was shot dead.
The government said security forces had "neutralized" at least six attackers.
President Alassane Ouattara expected to arrive at the scene.
___
6 p.m.
Ivory Coast's government says that security forces have neutralized six armed men who staged attacks on three hotels in the historic town of Grand-Bassam.
State Minister Hamed Bakayoko said in a statement posted to the government Twitter that security sweeps are underway and a toll of people killed and injured will be announced in the coming hours. He said he urges the public to remain calm.
___
4:44 p.m.
Witnesses say bursts of gunfire have been heard in a southeastern Ivory Coast beach town about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Ivory Coast's economic center, Abidjan.
Josiane Sekongo, 25, said shots rang out Sunday afternoon in Grand-Bassam, a popular weekend destination for Ivorians and foreigners.
Sekongo, who lives across from one of the town's many beachfront hotels, said she ran outside when she heard the gunfire and saw people running away from the beach. She said residents were hiding in their homes as security forces responded.
It was unclear how many assailants were involved. Casualty information was not immediately available.
--
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ivorycoast-attack-idUSKCN0WF0L9
World | Sun Mar 13, 2016 2:12pm EDT
Related: World, Ivory Coast, Africa
Twelve dead in Ivory Coast resort town attack, police source says
GRAND BASSAM, Ivory Coast
At least 12 people including four Europeans were killed on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on beachgoers at a resort town in Ivory Coast, a officer from the national police said.
"For the moment, we have a total of 12 dead, including four Europeans ... We don't know yet if there are others. We are doing clean-up operations right now," the officer told security forces during a briefing attended by a Reuters reporter.
Related Coverage
› Ivory Coast security forces 'neutralize six terrorists', minister says
(Reporting by Ange Aboa; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.france24.com/en/20160313-aqim-qaeda-ivory-coast-attack
Al Qaeda affiliate claims Ivory Coast beach resort attack
© Sia Kambou, AFP | An emergency worker carries a young boy who was injured during an attack on the beach at the hotel Etoile du Sud in Grand Bassam on March 13, 2016
Video by FRANCE 24
Text by FRANCE 24 Follow france24_en on twitter
Latest update : 2016-03-14
Al Qaeda’s North African affiliate claimed Sunday’s deadly attack by heavily armed gunmen on the Ivory Coast beach resort of Grand-Bassam, in which at least 16 people were killed, US-based monitors said.
In a message posted on its Telegram channels, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said three of its “heroes” had stormed the Grand-Bassam resort, according to US-based SITE Intelligence Group.
One witness also told AFP that they heard one of the assailants shouting “Allahu Akbar” – Arabic for “God is greatest” during the deadly assault.
The attack, which targeted three hotels popular among westerners about 40 km (25 miles) east of the commercial capital Abidjan, resulted in the deaths of 14 civilians and two special forces troops, President Alassane Ouattara said. Ivory Coast’s president also informed the press Sunday that six gunmen had been “neutralised”.
Ivory Coast Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko said foreign citizens from France, Germany, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon were among the victims. He also told state television that authorities were in possession of a mobile phone they hoped would prove a valuable lead in finding those responsible for the attack.
"It was truly, truly, terrifying, it was indeed terrorists,” eyewitness Marie-Claire Yapi, who was separated from her nine-month old baby and her sister in the chaos, told FRANCE 24. “Someone said to me: 'Run, this is serious – they are killing everyone.' The people who were there told us that once these men started speaking in Arabic, at that moment they thought that it was terrorists.
>>> For more on the attack, read our coverage of the day's events.
‘A war between AQIM and France’
Wassim Nasr, FRANCE 24’s expert on jihadi movements, said that the attack should be considered part of the group’s war against the West, especially France.
“We should look at this as a war between jihadi groups – especially Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – and France,” he said. “They target wherever they see French interests, or French or [other] Western citizens. They are trying to export their war to Western Africa. So I suspect that more attacks will happen in this region.”
‘A war between AQIM and France’
The deadly assault bore grim similarities to other recent attacks in West Africa. Barely two months ago, Islamists killed dozens of people in a hotel and café frequented by foreigners in neighbouring Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou. Gunmen also attacked a hotel in the Malian capital Bamako late last year.
Both of those attacks were also claimed by AQIM and raised concern that militants were extending their reach far beyond their traditional zones of operation in the Sahara and the arid Sahel region.
Though previously untouched by Islamist violence, Ivory Coast, French-speaking West Africa’s largest economy and the world’s top cocoa producer, has long been considered a target for militants.
International condemnation
As the scale of the tragedy become evident, regional and world leaders expressed their support for Ivory Coast, which has recently emerged from a decade of political turmoil and civil war to become one of the world’s fastest growing economies.
France’s President François Hollande denounced the shootings in the former French colony as a “cowardly attack.”
“France will bring its logistical support and intelligence to Ivory Coast to find the attackers. It will pursue and intensify its cooperation with its partners in the fight against terrorism,” he said in a statement.
President Macky Sall of Senegal, another country considered a likely target for AQIM, called upon West African countries to step up their cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
Date created : 2016-03-13
--
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://abc7news.com/news/6-armed-men-shoot-beachgoers-at-3-ivory-coast-hotels/1244036/
6 armed men shoot beachgoers at 3 Ivory Coast hotels
AP-Updated 8 mins ago
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- At least six armed men attacked beachgoers outside three hotels Sunday in Grand-Bassam, sending tourists fleeing through the historic Ivory Coast resort town. Bloody bodies were sprawled on the beach in photos apparently taken at the scene and posted on social media.
Ivory Coast's government said security forces have "neutralized" the six attackers on three hotels, and said that security sweeps are being carried out.
Officials did not say immediately how many were killed or injured.
"A detailed toll will be communicated in the coming hours," State Minister Hamed Bakayoko said in the statement. "We urge the public to remain calm."
The bursts of gunfire sent people running from the beach at Grand-Bassam, a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular destination for Ivorians and foreigners about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Abidjan, Ivory Coast's commercial center. It was the third major attack on a tourism center in a West African country since November.
"We don't know where they came from, and we don't know where they've gone," said a receptionist at the Etoile de Sud hotel in Grand-Bassam. Everyone in the hotel was safe, and gendarmerie were present, he said. He would not give his name.
Beachgoers could be seen lining up with their hands above their heads as they filed out of the area. Residents who heard the gunfire hid in their homes, said Josiane Sekongo, 25, who lives across from one of the many beachfront hotels.
An American embassy delegation was in Grand-Bassam on Sunday, but the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan said it is monitoring the situation and has no evidence U.S. citizens were targeted, nor confirmed reports that any were harmed.
Dozens of people were killed in the earlier attacks on West African tourist sites, starting with a siege at a Malian hotel in November and then an assault on a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso in January. Analysts have warned for months that Ivory Coast, which shares a border with both of those affected countries, could be hit by jihadists as well. The West African attacks indicate that extremist attacks are spreading from North Africa, where a beach attack in June killed 38 people in Tunisia.
"I have always said that Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Dakar (Senegal) are the next targets for jihadist groups because these two countries represent windows of France in Africa," said Lemine Ould M. Salem, an expert on al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and author of a book "The Bin Laden of the Sahara."
He said the attackers could be from Moktar Belmoktar's al-Mourabitoun, but that Boko Haram should not be ruled out. The Nigeria-based Boko Haram pledged to the Islamic State last year
The Latest on the beach attack in Ivory Coast (all times local):
7:07 p.m.
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara confirms that two special forces were killed in the attacks, in addition to the 14 civilians and six assailants.
6:58 p.m.
Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara says that 14 civilians and six assailants have been killed when the armed men attacked beachgoers and three hotels in Grand-Bassam.
Ouattara is in the town and says he is visiting the different hotels to express condolences and salute security forces for their quick responses.
___
6:45 p.m.
A hotel owner says at least one person was killed at his hotel, and a reporter saw four dead bodies on a beach in Ivory Coast's historic southeastern town of Grand-Bassam.
The four bodies were sprawled out on the beach next to the popular hotel Etoile du Sud after gunmen attacked beachgoers outside three hotels Sunday in Grand-Bassam. Security forces and members of the Ivorian Red Cross were clearing the bodies.
Jacques Able, who identified himself as the owner of Etoile du Sud said one person had been killed at the hotel.
Marcel Guy said he saw at least four gunmen with Kalashnikov rifles on the beach. He said one approached two children, and spoke in Arabic. One child knelt and prayed, the other was shot dead.
The government said security forces had "neutralized" at least six attackers.
President Alassane Ouattara expected to arrive at the scene.
___
6 p.m.
Ivory Coast's government says that security forces have neutralized six armed men who staged attacks on three hotels in the historic town of Grand-Bassam.
State Minister Hamed Bakayoko said in a statement posted to the government Twitter that security sweeps are underway and a toll of people killed and injured will be announced in the coming hours. He said he urges the public to remain calm.
___
4:44 p.m.
Witnesses say bursts of gunfire have been heard in a southeastern Ivory Coast beach town about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Ivory Coast's economic center, Abidjan.
Josiane Sekongo, 25, said shots rang out Sunday afternoon in Grand-Bassam, a popular weekend destination for Ivorians and foreigners.
Sekongo, who lives across from one of the town's many beachfront hotels, said she ran outside when she heard the gunfire and saw people running away from the beach. She said residents were hiding in their homes as security forces responded.
It was unclear how many assailants were involved. Casualty information was not immediately available.
--
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ivorycoast-attack-idUSKCN0WF0L9
World | Sun Mar 13, 2016 2:12pm EDT
Related: World, Ivory Coast, Africa
Twelve dead in Ivory Coast resort town attack, police source says
GRAND BASSAM, Ivory Coast
At least 12 people including four Europeans were killed on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on beachgoers at a resort town in Ivory Coast, a officer from the national police said.
"For the moment, we have a total of 12 dead, including four Europeans ... We don't know yet if there are others. We are doing clean-up operations right now," the officer told security forces during a briefing attended by a Reuters reporter.
Related Coverage
› Ivory Coast security forces 'neutralize six terrorists', minister says
(Reporting by Ange Aboa; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Kevin Liffey)