Image: Reuters
In the latest shocking incident that involved yet another series of blasts, around some thirty hostages have been freed, after an attack on a hotel in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, that also incurred around 20 lives.
Several masked men armed with ammunitions apparently ‘stormed’ the Splendid Hotel, marching along with captives, after car-bombs went off outside, eyewitnesses reported in their statement to the media.
Some thirty-two people are stated to be critically wounded and were admitted in a civil hospital, receiving immediate treatment, at the time of the incident being reported to the press. However, it is unclear whether any captives still remain inside the hotel.
A group that monitors Jihadist and other militant organisations stated that the ‘Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’ has taken up the responsibility for this blast. The monitoring group, in its statement has precisely stated that those responsible were supposedly the ‘Al-Murabitoun’ group, which has its roots deep in the Sahara desert, in northern Mali and contains fighters loyal to the veteran Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar.
Witnesses state that the gunmen had initially entered the Cappuccino cafe that is near the hotel and mostly visited by the United Nations’ staff and other foreigners. Eyewitnesses also report to hearing continuous exchanges of fire between the militants and the armed forces, as well as ‘sporadic gunfire’ from inside the four-star hotel, which is quite close to the country’s international airport.
Source: BBC.
Tags: Burkina Faso attack
