Al-Qaeda Attack Kills 16 at Ivory Coast Beach Resort

Local Editor

An al-Qaeda branch claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 16 people at the Grand-Bassam beach resort on Cote d'Ivoire, which is known for being popular with Westerners.

Relatively, some reports claimed that four of the victims are Europeans. Besides, the French Foreign Ministry confirmed that one of its citizens was among those killed in the shooting.

In further details, two gunmen opened fire on a beach, injuring several people, a local tourist guide told France24. However, Reuters' sources mentioned that four gunmen were involved in the attack.

According to the SITE Intelligence Group, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the assault in which official sources confirmed that six assailants have been neutralized in the police operation so far.

The attackers were reportedly armed with machine guns and had a significant number of grenades, according to photos witnesses posted on Twitter.

Grand-Bassam is located in the south-east of Cote d'Ivoire, lying 40km from the main city of Abidjan.

In 2012 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team