One American among the dead in Mali attack

UPDATE: According to the U.S. State Department, one American was among at least 19 people killed in a terror attack Friday at a Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali.

The State Department declined to immediately identify the American victim out of respect for the family.

Secretary of State John Kerry offered his “deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and injured” in the assault, adding that the U.S. Embassy in Bamako is ready “to provide support to the Malian government in the investigation” of the incident.

“These terrorist attacks will only deepen our shared resolve to fight terrorism,” Kerry said.

The reported number of those killed in the attack has fluctuated throughout the day, with a Malian army official saying that 22 people, including the attackers, are dead. Army Cmdr. Modibo Nama Traore said late Friday night that there appeared to be two attackers and that a Malian gendarme was among the dead. He added that five people were injured including two Malian police officers, and that 126 people were safely evacuated.

UPDATE (2 p.m.): A UN official at the site of the hotel attack in Mali claims troops clearing the building have discovered 27 victims so far. They found 12 bodies in the basement and 15 on the second floor.

Malian forces, with help from U.S. and French soldiers, are going room-by-room looking for survivors and more victims. So far, two attackers have been killed.

According to hotel employees, 125 guests and 13 employees are unaccounted for.

UPDATE (11:45 a.m.): An extremist group once affiliated with al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for this morning’s attack on a luxury hotel in Mali. Security forces combing the Raddison Blu looking for the gunmen say they have found 18 bodies so far. According to the hotel’s parent company, 125 guests and 13 employees were left in the building when the Malian military launched its counter-offensive. At least six Americans have been evacuated from the hotel.

The terror group, known as the Mourabitounes, formed in 2013 after it leader, Moktar Belmoktar, split with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. It claims it wants Mali to free fighters imprisoned in the country and stop attacks against northern Malians.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (8:30 a.m.): Malian security forces have launched a counter assault on a hotel in the country’s capital, Bamako, in an attempt to retake it from a group of gunman who stormed in earlier today. At one point, they held about 170 people hostage.

According to state TV, 80 hostages have been freed so far. But three people reportedly were killed during the initial assault.

The attack started in the morning, when as many as 10 men driving in a vehicle with a diplomatic license plate walked into the lobby of the Radisson Blu hotel, shooting and tossing hand grenades.

At least one guest claimed the attackers ordered him to recite verses from the Quran before letting him go. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Mali is home to several jihadi organizations.

The hotel is popular with international visitors and guests included nationals from France, Turkey, Belgium, and China.

Mali has had a turbulent recent history after Islamist separatists launched a coup attempt in 2012. France sent troops to the country in 2013 and forced extremists out of the northern towns where they were entrenched. But sporadic militant attacks have continued, including one on a restaurant in March that killed five people.

About 1,000 French troops remain in the country, along with 450 Dutch military personnel working with the UN mission.

Today’s attack comes a week after Islamic State militants attacked several sites in Paris, killing 129 people and wounding nearly 400 others.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.