It is a major victory for France after years of battling jihadists in the Sahel.

Canadians are hardly the only targets of today's terrorists, but they lack the government support available to citizens of other western countries, victims and advocates say.

Three Canadians are safe in Mali's capital after an extremist group laid siege to a luxury hotel, taking some 170 people hostage. Canada's former governor general Michaelle Jean was supposed to stay at the same hotel this weekend.