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Special police forces are seen during search operations following an attack by al-Qaida linked gunmen on Jan. 16, 2016, in Ouagadougou. Security forces were continuing search operations in the area around Splendid Hotel and nearby Cappuccino restaurant, which were attacked late on Jan. 15, killing at least 23 people.
AHMED OUOBA/AFP/Getty Images
An al-Qaida-affiliated group is taking responsibility for the siege of a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso’s capital, reports CNN.
The country’s security forces—with logistical help from American and French troops—stormed the Splendid hotel in Ouagadougou early Saturday morning, trading gunfire with the militants and freeing 126 hostages, half of whom were hospitalized, according to CNN.
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attack, reports NBC News.
NBC is also reporting that Clement Sawadogo, Burkina Faso’s minister of public service, labor and social security, were among those freed.
Security minister Simon Compaore announced that four of the attackers—including two women—were killed in the hours-long attack that reportedly began across the street at the Cappuccino café.
One surviving witness who said he escaped through a broken window of the hotel, reported that the attackers were randomly shooting people at point blank range.
“Everyone was panicked and was lying down on the floor. There was blood everywhere, they were shooting at people at point blank,” said Yannick Sawadogo to CNN.
In December AQIM reportedly called for Muslims in several countries, including the West African nation, to “wake up for jihad,” reports NBC.
Read more at CNN and NBC News.
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