KABUL: (MEP) At least 20 people have been killed and 15 others wounded while a large number of others were being held hostage in an ongoing Al-Qaeda attack on a hotel in the capital of Burkina Faso popular with UN staff and westerners.
The attack occurred after gunmen launched an attack on the Splendid Hotel in the business district of Ouagadougou on Friday night, burning some 10 cars outside and firing in the air to drive back people before the arrival of security forces.
Burkinabe forces prepared an assault to rescue hostages still trapped five hours after the assault began.
Officials said French forces could join a counter-attack on the hotel, while a US defence official said Washington would potentially provide surveillance.
According to witnesses, there were four or five armed men involved in the raid. The army has surrounded the building following reports of gunfire and car bomb explosions.
Earlier, Burkina Faso’s Communication Minister has confirmed that more than 30 people have been evacuated, including a government minister.
The al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) militant group has claimed responsibility for the ongoing attack on the hotel.
The attack comes less than two months after a jihadist hostage siege at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in the Malian capital Bamako in November, in which 20 people died including 14 foreigners.
