Category: Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso hostage siege over: 126 freed, at least 23 killed in Islamist attack


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The terrorist takeover of the luxury Splendid hotel in the Burkina Faso capital is over, with all three militants reportedly killed and 126 hostages freed. The number of victims of the assault has not yet been calculated, but no less than 23 are presumed dead.

 

Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré has announced that the “partial death toll” from the attack has reached 23.

The French ambassador to Burkina Faso, Gilles Thibault, says that the number of dead has reached 27.

Those killed in the attack included people of 18 different nationalities, Interior Minister Compaore said.

https://www.rt.com/news/329132-gunfire-explosions-burkina-capital/

 

Burkina Faso attack: At least 28 dead, scores freed after hotel siege


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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.

Security forces entered the hotel early Saturday and freed 126 hostages, half of whom were hospitalized, according to Burkina Faso’s foreign minister, Alpha Barry.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore told the nation 28 people were killed and 54 more were wounded. The wounded included two Burkinabe police officers, one soldier and one service member from France.

Two French nationals were among the dead, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported, citing the French Foreign Ministry. Canada said six of its citizens were killed. Two of the deceased were from Switzerland, that nation’s Foreign Ministry said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/16/africa/burkina-faso-hotel-terrorist-attack/index.html?sr=fb011616burkinafasohotelterroristattack835pVODtopLink