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Gunmen Open Fire, Kill 16 At Hotels In Ivory Coast Beach Town

An intelligence network reports al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb is claiming credit for the deadly attack.
Posted at 5:58 PM, Mar 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-13 17:58:00-04

Gunmen opened fire at three hotels in the Ivory Coast on Sunday afternoon, killing 16 people.

Fourteen civilians and two special forces soldiers were killed in the attacks in the beach town of Grand-Bassam. The country's interior minister told local media that the six gunmen had been "neutralized" by soldiers who responded to the scene. 

The U.S. Embassy in Abidjan said there's no evidence any American citizens were harmed. 

According to CNN, French President Francois Hollande condemned the attack and said at least one French citizen was killed.

An independent intel group specializing in tracking jihadi networks reports al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb claimed credit for the deadly attack. 

The same group claimed responsibility for killing dozens in the capital city of neighboring Burkina Faso nearly two months ago. 

And in November, an attack by the group at a hotel in Mali left 22 dead.

This video includes images from Zak Le Messager / CC BY 2.0 and Google.