Africa

AQIM shares responsibility for Mali hotel killings

Video claim comes weeks after 19 people died in attack in Malian capital

05.12.2015 - Update : 06.12.2015
AQIM shares responsibility for Mali hotel killings

BAMAKO, Mali

The head of an al-Qaeda group has claimed joint responsibility for the Nov. 20 hotel attack in Bamako, Mali, which left 19 people dead.

Abdelmalek Droukdel, leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, released a video late Friday sharing responsibility for the deadly attack with another extremist group, al-Mourabitoun.

The leader of that group, Algerian Mokhtar Belmokhtar, pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda last May.

Friday’s video also denied that the two organizations had pledged allegiance to Daesh, describing the group as their enemy.

Formed in 2013, al-Mourabitoun is active in northern Mali and Africa's Sahel region.

In recent years, it has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the region, including many hostage-taking incidents.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.