rocess in the country.[24] More than 100 hostages were freed.[25]
UN peacekeepers supported the Malian Armed Forces by reinforcing security around the hotel.[12] 25 U.S. Special Forces were in Bamako at the time of the attack and assisted Malian forces in evacuating civilians to secure locations.[23] An official from the U.S. Defense Department's said that 22 military and civilian department personnel were in the city, including five people who were at the hotel. However, he added that everyone was accounted for and there were no reports of injuries. One member, who was outside, entered the hotel to help first responders move civilians to secure locations while the Malian operation was ongoing. Another member helped at the Joint Operations Center, which was set up to respond to the incident. The official also said that the forces did not directly participate in the operation. A further six U.S. citizens were rescued by security forces, according to AFRICOM