King, Putin to discuss anti-terrorism efforts

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet for talks in Sochi, Russia, this week, according to a Royal Court statement. 

Talks will address global counterterrorism efforts, in addition to the latest developments in the region, especially in Syria, said the statement, released on Friday.   

Six Russians who worked for a cargo airline were killed in a Friday siege at a luxury hotel in Mali, the Russian foreign ministry said Saturday, according to Agence France-Presse.

In all, 12 Russians — all staff at the Volga-Dnepr airline — were caught up in Friday’s hostage taking in Bamako, but six were freed.

Those who died “were shot by gunmen in the restaurant literally in the first minutes of the terrorist attack on the hotel”, the ministry said.

The attack was claimed by the Al Murabitoun group, an Al Qaeda affiliate.

Putin said on Saturday he wanted global cooperation to combat terrorism in the wake of the Mali attack, which killed 19 people, Reuters reported.

Three weeks earlier, a Russian airliner was downed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula by what Moscow and Western governments say was a bomb, killing 224 all people aboard.

Putin has pledged to hunt down militants responsible for blowing up the airliner and has intensified air strikes against militants in Syria.