Mali: Bamako on lockdown as special forces lift hotel siege

Police closed the streets around the Radisson Blu hotel in central Bamako, Friday, as Malian special forces stormed the luxury hotel after gunmen attacked the building earlier in the day, killing up to 18 people and taking 170 hostage. Militants from Al-Mourabitoun, a group affiliated with al-Qaida, have reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack. Ten gunmen entered the Radisson Blu hotel in the centre of the Malian capital in an early morning raid on Friday, killing up to 18 people during the attac