A CHILD was shot dead by jihadis as he knelt and pleaded for his life during a terror attack at an Ivory Coast beach resort popular with Western tourists.
At least 16 people, including a five-year-old boy and four Europeans, were murdered when heavily-armed Islamist terrorists went on the rampage at three luxury hotels yesterday.
One of the victims was reported to be an English-speaking woman. Terrified beachgoers caught up in the carnage were filmed screaming and running for safety as up to six gunmen wearing balaclavas sprayed bullets indiscriminately while shouting “Allahu Akbar” - “God is great”.
Witnesses said the attackers, wielding Kalashnikov assault rifles and hand grenades, shot “anyone they could find” as they brought bloodshed to the packed beachfront of Grand-Bassam, a UNESCO world heritage site.
In London, the Foreign Office said officials were “urgently” trying to establish whether any Britons had been caught up in the attack.
In a sickening new low, the extremists, described as African and wearing casual clothes, nonchalantly slaughtered an innocent child as he pleaded for his life. A witness said: “They killed a child despite him kneeling down and begging. They shot a woman in the chest. I heard them shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’. They’ve killed innocent people.”
Belgian Yves Losseau was on the beach at Grand-Bassam — 40km east of the capital Abidjan — when the gunmen struck at lunchtime. He said: “We tried to take refuge in the hotel building. Then I saw one of the attackers approach the hotel garden and I saw him shoot dead a European woman.
“Then I saw another young man running towards the hotel who was also shot, but he kept moving afterwards so he was still alive. After the attacker shot the woman, he walked away calmly.”
It was reported that the gunmen arrived by fishing boat and their attack lasted three hours.
Terror group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have claimed responsibility for the attack. Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara confirmed 14 civilians and two members of Ivory Coast’s special forces had been killed. Six terrorists had also been “neutralised”.
French president François Hollande denounced the “cowardly attack” in the former colony as he revealed at least one French national had been killed.
The attack is the third on West African hotels - popular with Westerners - in five months. In November, the Radisson Blu in Mali’s capital Bamako was targeted by AQIM in an attack which left 20 dead, then in January gunmen entered the Hotel Splendid and nearby Cappuccino Café in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, killing 30.
The latest attack also bore similarities to an attack by Islamic State in June last year on the Tunisian beach resort of Sousse, which claimed 38 lives, including British tourists.
Security analysts said Grand-Bassam, once the colonial capital of the West African nation and a popular destination for expats escaping the scorching heat of the cities, would have been seen as an “easy target”.
Graphic photographs emerged of bodies sprawled on the beach. Video filmed from the L’Etoile du Sud Hotel showed terrified people running for their lives as the gunmen opened fire.
Lacina Ouattara, who works at the Wharf Hotel, said: “They started at the L’Etoile du Sud and then made their way along the beach, which was packed because it was Sunday afternoon.” He said the gunmen shot “at anyone they could find”, adding: “I saw two men with guns. Kalashnikovs. Their faces were bare and I could see they were Africans. They were in their 30s and were dressed in civilian clothes. They shouted ‘Allahu Akhbar’ as they moved along the beach.”
He said they were intercepted by police as they reached La Paillote Hotel and a shootout ensued.
Dramane Kima, who filmed the carnage, said: “I saw seven dead that I filmed. There were four attackers. I was swimming when it started and I ran away.”
Raffaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank in London, said: “Attacking the evil Westerner is one of their prime intentions and goals. Hitting a resort like this hits a number of goals.
“It undermines the local government, because tourism is often a big driver of these local economies, so if people don’t feel safe there then people are not going to come, which has an impact.
“Another element is, if you attack Westerners the media will pay attention to it and you will get publicity and attention. It is an easy soft target for these groups.”
The Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel to certain parts of the Ivory Coast. |
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