21 Killed in Burkina Faso Hotel Attack

Posted on January 16, 2016 0 Comments18

16 Jan: At least 21 people were killed and 15 injured after an Al-Qaida group
attacked the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, the African country capital
on Friday. The attackers also took hostages at the hotel in
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

According to Xinhua, dozens of hostages
have been freed after Burkina Faso security forces launched an assault
to recapture the hotel and rescue hostages. Foreigners and Burkina Faso
nationals are among the hostages, said the Foreign ministry.

“The
security forces have launched an assault against the terrorists. Dozens
of hostages freed from the hotel,” Burkina Info TV said. Three heavily
armed attackers, wearing ski masks, arrived in two vehicles, said
witnesses. Local radio Omega reported earlier that at least 12 hostages
had been freed.

SITE Intelligence group, a US-based monitor group,
said on its website: “Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed
credit for the raid… reporting its execution by the recently-joined
al-Murabitoon Battalion.”

The Splendid Hotel, not far from the
international airport here, often hosts Westerners, including UN staff
and journalists, CNN reported.

Gunfire and explosions were heared
in the business center of the capital around 7.30 p.m. (1930 GMT). The
area around the hotel has been sealed off and a curfew was imposed until
6 a.m. Saturday local time.

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