Security forces have managed to rescue 126 of the hostages trapped inside a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso after it was attacked by gunmen last night.
As many as 30 people have been killed in the terror attacks in Ouagadougou, with 33 of the survivors wounded during the rescue, the Burkinabe Interior Ministry confirmed.
A unit of Bukinabe special forces assisted by around 30 French special forces and an American soldier stormed the 147-bed hotel in Ougadougou and reportedly killed three of the gunmen, one of whom is thought to be of Arab origin.
At least ten of the victims in the terror attack were gunned down at the Cappuccino Cafe, situated next door to the hotel. The attack has been claimed by al-Mourabitoun, an al-Qaeda affiliated group based in the Sahel region of northern Mali.
Special forces are now trying to break a second siege at another nearby hotel, the Yibi Hotel, where gunmen are also thought to be holed up.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement released on an encrypted messaging app.
The group said it targeted the Splendid Hotel because it is popular with foreigners, saying the attack was sent as a message ‘written by the heroes of Islam with their blood and body parts’, according to The New York Times.
The statement was addressed to a foreign audience as ‘the Cross-worshipers, the occupiers of our lands, the looters of our wealth and the abusers of our security’. It claimed the attack was intended ‘to punish the Cross-worshipers for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali and other lands of the Muslims, and to avenge our Prophet, God’s peace and blessings be upon him’.
Of those wounded is French national Leila Alaoui, who is undergoing surgery, according to New York Times contributor Aida Alami.
French television network France 24 reported that at least 20 people have been killed in the attack. Two survivors, who did not give their names, were interviewed by the station.
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