Gunmen Assault Tourist Hotels In Ivory Coast, Killing At Least 14

More than a dozen people in Ivory Coast have been killed in an attack on a several popular beach hotels on Sunday.

Six armed militants targeted beach-goers and hotel guests in Grand-Bassam, a historic resort town located about 25 miles east of Abdijan, Ivory Coast.

The gunmen killed 14 people, according to Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara; he says the six militants have also been killed. Ouattara is visiting the sites of the shootings to express his condolences.

The hotels in Grand-Bassam are frequented by both locals and foreign tourists, NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton says.

"Witnesses describe heavily-armed gunmen shooting guests on the beach, before opening fire on nearby hotels," Ofeibea tells our Newscast unit.

She says Ivory Coast is currently experiencing a heat wave, driving visitors to the tourist destination.

The militant Islamist group al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE intelligence group.

The capitals of nearby Mali and Burkina Faso have recently been struck by similar attacks on upscale hotels, which were also claimed by AQIM.

A hotel in Bamako, Mali, was attacked in November and more than 170 guests were taken hostage, with more than 20 fatalities. A hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, was stormed in January; 126 people were taken hostage and about 20 people killed. Both hotels were popular with Westerners.

AQIM claimed joint responsibility for the Mali attack and sole responsibility for the Burkina Faso attack. This is the third attack in West Africa since October for which AQIM has claimed responsibility.

Regional governments have tightened security and vigilance — and their armies recently took part in Operation Flintlock counter-terrorism exercises in Senegal, organised by the Pentagon.