At least 16 dead as gunmen storm Ivory Coast beach resort

[Valin]

Yahoo/AFP:

Christophe Koffi

Mar. 13 2016

 

Grand-Bassam (Ivory Coast) (AFP) - Heavily-armed gunmen went on a shooting rampage in the Ivory Coast resort of Grand-Bassam on Sunday, killing at 16 people and leaving bodies strewn on the beach in the the first attack of its kind in the country One witness told AFP they heard one of the assailants shouting "Allahu Akbar" -- Arabic for "God is greatest", but there has not yet been any claim of responsibility.

 

President Alassane Ouattara said 14 civilians and two special forces troops were killed in the strike that targeted three hotels in the former French colonial capital, a resort town popular with Western expatriates. "The toll is heavy," he said as he visited the scene, adding that six gunmen had been killed.

 

French President Francois Hollande said at least one French national was among the victims. The assailants, who were "heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, fired at guests at the L'Etoile du Sud, a large hotel which was full of expats in the current heatwave," another witness told AFP.

 

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