At least 16 dead in al Qaeda attack on Ivory Coast beach town
Gunmen from the militant group opened fire near several hotels in the seaside town of Grand-Bassam, and security forces managed to kill all six of them later on.
A group of six gunmen opened fire near several hotels in the seaside town of Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast, on Sunday, killing at 16 least people. Security forces later shot them dead. Two soldiers were among those killed, Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara said. A monitoring group said the al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed the attack.
Reporters at the scene said they saw bodies sprawled on the beach and beachgoers lining up with their hands above their heads as they left the area. Grand-Bassam is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a popular weekend destination for residents of Adidjan, a city 40 km away. It is frequented by foreign tourists as well, four of whom were killed in Sunday’s attack.
Several tourist spots in West Africa have been attacked over the past few months, including a hotel in Mali in November and another hotel and café in Burkina Faso in January.
