Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has said three of its fighters have been killed
Grand-Bassam: Gunmen killed 16 people at an Ivory Coast resort leaving bodies strewn on the beach, in an attack claimed by an Al-Qaeda affiliate.
The US-based SITE Intelligence Group said Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the terror group’s North African affiliate, had claimed responsibility for the attack. AQIM said in a statement three of its fighters had been killed.
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“By the grace of Allah and His granting of success, three heroes from the knights of Qaedat al-Jihad in the Islamic Maghreb were able to storm the tourist resort ‘Grand Bassam,’ situated east of the city of Abidjan, in Ivory Coast,” SITE quoted AQIM as saying in a post.
Shooting spree
Armed with grenades and assault riffles, the attackers stormed three hotels in the sleepy resort of Grand-Bassam, popular with expats.
Witnesses described panic as the gunmen sprayed bullets across the beach. 14 civilians and two special forces troops were killed in the shooting spree, along with six assailants, according to Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara.
One French and one German national were among the dead, according to Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko.
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