[h=1]BREAKING NEWS: Terror in Burkina Faso: 'Hostages held' after two car bombs explode outside upmarket tourist hotel as masked jihadi gunmen battle security forces in the street[/h]
Eyewitnesses say two car bombs exploded at 7.30pm local time
'Several' masked gunmen then stormed the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou
Local media reported at hostages have been taken
Business district hotel is used by UN staff and westerners
Security forces reportedly exchanged fire with the men at the scene
Police are battling with masked jihadi gunmen near a four-star business hotel in Burkina Faso's capital tonight, amid an ongoing hostage situation. Two car bombs exploded outside the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou's business district before several gunmen stormed the hotel. Security forces arrived as the men fired in the air to disperse the gathering crowd and soon engaged in a fierce gunfight with the suspected jihadis as cars burned around them. International newsagency Associated Press has reported that several people have died in the attack, according to a restaurant employee. A senior official with the national gendarmes said suspected Islamist fighters had taken an unknown number of hostages. 'It is continuing at this time. We are trying to know how many attackers they are to better coordinate our actions. Hostages have been taken. The operation could take several hours,' the officer said asking not to be named. A journalist on the scene told CNN that French and US soldiers at the hotel. It is unclear if they are there in response, or were staying at the hotel. Eyewitnesses said two car bombs exploded at approximately 7.30pm local time before up to six masked men stormed the hotel.
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Pictures of the injured were posted to Twitter as the attack continues
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Initial reports suggest the attack included two car bombs outside the hotel
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The hotel is used by UN agency staff and is near a cafe popular with expats
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A vehicle carrying security personnel arrived and shortly afterwards and intense gun battle began
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Witnesses reportedly said the attackers claimed to be from ISIS
The four-star hotel is reportedly used by UN agency staff and is near a cafe called Cappucino, said to be popular with expats, although U.N. spokesman in Ouagadougou, Emile Kabore, told CNN he did not believe any U.N. staffers are currently staying at the hotel. A witness who gave only his first name, Gilbert, said that when security forces first arrived, they turned around rather than confront the attackers. 'But we know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive,' he said. 'Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong.' The French Embassy in Burkina Faso released a statement on its website calling incident a 'terrorist attack and urged its citizens to return home and to avoide the hotel, the Cafe Capuccino and Kwame N'Krumah Avenue. The U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou tweeted: 'We are closely following the situation downtown.' It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, though jihadists have attacked hotels before in neighboring Mali, including a devastating attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in November that left 20 people dead.
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Burkina Faso has largely been spared the violence wracked by Islamic extremist groups in northern neighbour Mali
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Security forces in Burkina Faso battled suspected Islamist fighters outside the Splendid Hotel in the capital's business district
The attack would be the first in Burkina's capital by Islamists in a country that is diverse in religious terms and has a population that is around 60 percent Muslim, according to government figures. It would present a significant challenge to President Roch Marc Kabore, who was elected in Nov. 2015 as Burkina Faso's first new leader in decades. The French embassy in December warned its citizens against traveling to a national park in eastern Burkina Faso after reports that Malian jihadists were threatening to kidnap foreigners. An Islamist militant group Al-Mourabitoun said in May, 2015, it was holding a Romanian man kidnapped from a mine in northern Burkina Faso the previous month. Around 50 unidentified gunmen attacked a Burkina Faso gendarmerie brigade near the country's western border with Mali in Oct. 2015, killing three in an attack the then government blamed on the leaders of a failed coup one month before. Burkina Faso has endured bouts of political turmoil since October 2014 when veteran President Blaise Compaore was overthrown in a popular protest, but has been largely spared violence by Islamist militants who have staged attacks in neighboring Mali. Two militants killed 20 people from nations including Russia, China and the United States at a luxury hotel in Mali's capital on Nov. 20, 2015, before being killed by the security forces. Three Islamist groups including al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed that attack, the most prominent by militants who are based in the north of the country and have staged a series of attacks over the last year.
[h=1]Terror in Burkina Faso: Masked Al Qaeda gunmen kill 20 with 'foreigners among the dead' at top tourist hotel as security forces storm building to try to save hostages[/h]
At least 20 people have died in the attack on the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, West Africa
Security forces stormed the hotel to break the five hour siege after masked gunmen took hostages
Russia's Honorary Council in Burkina Faso said foreigners are among the dead, 'possibly including Europeans'
Witnesses say two car bombs exploded at 7.30pm local time, followed by a fierce gunbattle with security forces
The business district hotel and neighbouring Cafe Cappuccino is used by UN staff and westerners
Local Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) branch Al-Mourabitoun have claimed the attack
Thirty-three hostages were freed by security Burkinabe and French soldiers early Saturday morning
Of the several of people wounded in the attack was identified as French national Leila Alaoui
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attack. Citing conversations with the attackers, the group claimed that 30 “crusaders” had been killed in “revenge for the Prophet”, according to the US monitoring group SITE.
[h=3]Summary - what we know so far[/h]Burkina Faso and French forces killed four Islamist extremists on Saturday and freed more than 126 people to end the seige of a luxury hotel by al-Qaida-linked militants, Burkina Faso officials said. In addition to the four jihadists, at least 23 people were killed in the attack at the Splendid Hotel and a nearby cafe in Ouagadougou, the capital, the president said.
Three attackers were killed at the hotel and a fourth was killed when security forces cleared out a second hotel nearby. Two of the three attackers at the Splendid Hotel were identified as female, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on national radio.
[h=1]Terror in Burkina Faso: American missionary and six Canadians among 28 people killed by Al Qaeda jihadists during a 15-hour terror attack in Burkina Faso[/h]
At least one American and six Canadians are among the 28 people from 18 different countries killed in Burkina Faso
American missionary Mike Riddering, with the domestic violence organization Sheltering Wings, is among the dead
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that six Canadians also died in the attack
They were killed during a terror attack on the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, in West Africa
Security forces stormed the hotel, reportedly freed 156 hostages and killed three of the four gunmen
Local al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) branch Al-Mourabitoun have claimed responsibility for the attack
One the 33 people wounded in the attack has been identified as French photographer Leila Alaoui
The fourth gunman was killed at the Yibi Hotel following a lengthy siege in the Burkinabe capital this morning
. PUBLISHED: 00:51, 17 January 2016 | UPDATED: 02:10, 17 January 2016 At least one American and six Canadians are among the 28 people from 18 different countries were killed during a 15-hour terror attack by four jihadists at a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso’s capital.
The terror attack came to an end on Saturday after security forces stormed the building and rescued 156 of the hostages.
Burkinabe special forces, assisted by 30 French special forces, broke the lengthy siege and stormed the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou. Three of the gunmen were killed after a firefight before the hotel was re-captured by special forces.
American missionary Mike Riddering, who worked with the domestic violence organization Sheltering Wings, is among the 28 dead. He was identified by his wife, his brother, Jeff Riddering, told NBC News.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that six Canadians also died in the attack, according to the National Post.
‘On behalf of all Canadians, we offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed and a speedy recovery to all those injured. We are deeply saddened by these senseless acts of violence on innocent civilians,” he said in a statement.
French newspaper Le Monde has reported that at least two of the victims are French.
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American missionary Mike Riddering, who works for the domestic violence organization Sheltering Wings, is among the 28 people killed in the terror attack in Burkina Faso
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Riddering's wife, Amy Boyle Riddering (right), confirmed on Facebook that her husband had been killed in Friday night's attack
