Ivory Coast hotel shooting: Child 'spared for praying' as another is shot dead by 'Arabic speaking' attacker
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has taken responsibility for the attack
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.At least one child was among the 16 people killed in an attack at the popular Grand-Bassam resort in Ivory Coast, it has been reported.
Officials say four Europeans were among 14 civilian victims, while two soldiers died as part of an operation that saw six gunmen "neutralised".
A witness named Marcel Guy said he saw a group of at least four men armed with Kalashnikovs on the beach near the L'Etoile du Sud hotel.
A bearded gunman approached two children and allegedly spoke in Arabic.
One child knelt and prayed but the other was shot dead.
"The Christian boy was shot and killed right in front of my eyes," Mr Guy said.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has taken responsibility for the attack, which marks the first Islamist terror attack on the West African nation since 2011.
Many other countries in the region have been hit hard by Islamist militant insurgencies.
Neighbouring Mali has seen significant conflict in recent years.
In November 2015, the Radisson Hotel in Mali’s capital Bamako was targeted by extremists.
120 hostages were taken and 20 people were killed before special forces stormed the site.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments