At least 20 people were killed during an Al Qaeda siege of a hotel in Mali. U.S. and French special forces helped to free many hostages. From Bloomberg: Mali’s rumbling conflict that led to the hotel hostage-taking.

+ Up until several months ago, she was described as “a French national of Moroccan origin who lived a secular lifestyle, which included heavy drinking and attending nightclubs.” How did a young woman known for wearing cowboy hats end up blowing herself up during a raid on the apartment she shared with the ringleader of the Paris attacks? And from Vox: How do ordinary people become terrorists?

+ Of those people living in the U.S. who have been indicted for connections to ISIS, 81% are Americans. None are from Syria.

+ Donald Trump suggested that America might need a special registry or ID system for Muslims. Tayyib M. Rashid had a pretty good response.