Suspected jihadists attacked a tourist resort in Mali capital

Thomson Reuters

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) - A security official says suspected jihadists in Mali's capital have attacked a resort that is popular with foreigners on the weekends.

The official with the U.N. mission known as MINUSMA, said people had been killed and wounded but gave no immediate toll. There also were believed to be hostages in the luxury Campement de Kangaba resort area Sunday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.

Officials from the French military mission in Mali, the European Union and the U.N. also were there this weekend, he added.

AFP reported that residents near the Kangaba resort said they heard gunshots and saw smoke billowing into the air, and some said they saw at least one building on fire. 

A security official told AFP that Malian special forces, French soldiers, and UN soldiers "have sealed off the area and are in the process of organising operations" against the attackers. 

Sunday's violence came about a week after the U.S. State Department warned of "possible future attacks on Western diplomatic missions, other locations in Bamako that Westerners frequent."

The attack is the latest in a series of high-profile assaults in north and and west Africa, targeting locals and tourists, according to AFP.