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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Burkina Faso attack: At least 23 dead, scores freed after hotel siege |
| 2016-01-17 |
| [CNN] Attackers raided a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... overnight, shooting some and taking others hostage in a siege that lasted hours and ended with dozens of people dead. An al Qaeda-linked terrorist group grabbed credit for the assault at Splendid Hotel -- a popular meeting place for Western diplomats in the capital, Ouagadougou. The attack began Friday night and dragged on under the cover of darkness. Security forces circled the perimeter to assess the situation before they stormed in hours later. "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, who survived the siege. Scurity forces entered the hotel early Saturday and freed 126 hostages, half of whom were hospitalized, according to Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister, Alpha Barry. Burkina Faso's Security Minister Simon Compaore said 23 people from 18 countries had been killed. Gilles Thibault, La Belle France's ambassador to Burkina Faso, said 27 were dead. Two Frenchies were among the dead, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported, citing the French Foreign Ministry. It was unclear whether either corpse count included the four attackers -- including two women -- that Compaore said were killed. Thibault said three attackers died, and none of them were women. Survivors described horrific scenes as the attackers paced and fired in the hotel Friday night. "We could hear them talking and they were walking around and kept shooting at people who seemed alive," Sawadogo told CNN affiliate BFMTV. Sawadogo said he escaped through a broken window, and could barely see because of smoke. Burkinabe forces scoured rooms at the hotel, looking for hard boyz and any remaining hostages. Those rescued included a government minister, state media reported. The West African nation's forces received logistical support from American and French troops. Shortly after the forces stormed the hotel, the sounds of gunshots faded. |
| Posted by:Fred |