At least 23 killed in Jihadist attack on Burkina hotel
At least 23 people from 18 countries were killed in an attack by jihadist gunmen on a top hotel and a restaurant in the capital of Burkina Faso, before security forces ended the siege on Saturday and killed four assailants.
A total of 126 people were freed, including 33 wounded, from the four-star Splendid hotel, popular with Westerners and UN personnel, after security forces retook the 147-room facility and the Cappuccino restaurant nearby in the early hours of Saturday, Interior Minister Simon Compaore told AFP.
The jihadists’ assault had been completely crushed by midday Saturday, a security source said. Four jihadists, including two women, were killed in the counter-assault.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was ‘revenge against France and the disbelieving West’, according to a statement carried by US-based monitoring group SITE.
