Restaurant reopens in Mali's capital as authorities ramp up security after extremist attack

BAMAKO, Mali – A restaurant in Mali's capital has reopened after it was attacked earlier this month by Islamic extremists.

Five people including a French citizen and a Belgian national were killed in the attack at La Terrasse on March 7, the first of its kind in Bamako.

Wahid Assy, the restaurant's owner, said Malian authorities had urged him to reopen quickly, vowing to ensure its security.

Officials had long feared an attack in Bamako, which is in Mali's south. Mali's northern half came under the control of al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremists following a military coup in 2012. A French-led intervention in early 2013 scattered the extremists, though the north remains insecure.

A man believed to have served as the driver during the attack was killed by special forces on Friday.