At least 23 other people from up to 18 different countries were killed in the attack at the Splendid Hotel and nearby Cappuccino Cafe, establishments popular with westerners in Ouagadougou, the capital, he said. Three attackers were killed at the hotel and a fourth was killed when security forces cleared out a second hotel nearby. Two of the three attackers at the Splendid Hotel were identified as female, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on national radio. "We appeal to the people to be vigilant and brave because we must fight on," said the president when praising the security forces and first responders. He also said the country was grateful for the military cooperation from French and Americans.
The Islamic extremists stormed the hotel and cafe Friday night. A young black woman with dreadlocks and young Arabs entered the cafe shouting Allahu akhbar (Arabic for God is great), said Issouf Ouattara, who was at the cafe where 10 people were killed in the gunfire. "There was general panic. After about 20 minutes the situation calmed down and then the firing started again and I think this time it was the police," said another witness Inoussa Diarra. "We tried to evacuate the victims because they were a bit hidden all over," witness Patrick Nikiema told regional news agency Juka Africa.
A freed woman, center, walks past French special forces near the Splendid Hotel, early Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Heavy gunfire erupted early Saturday as forces from Burkina Faso and France worked to overtake the luxury hotel that had been seized by al-Qaida militants the night before.
Gunfire ramped up early Saturday as gendarme and military forces fought to take back the building which had been blackened by a fire during the assault. Burned cars and motorbikes and overturned chairs and shards of glass lay scattered near the hotel. Onlookers were kept far away from the fighting that continued into daylight. "We know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive. Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong," said Gilbert, a witness who gave only his first name. After the morning call to prayer signaled a new day in this West African nation, security forces took control of the Splendid Hotel they searched nearby hotels for other extremists in hiding. The search continued after security forces found and killed a fourth extremist at the Hotel Yibi, the president said.
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No need to panic, it's just another day in Northern or Western Africa.
Is this going to be a weekly debacle? And we all thought ISIS was dead,,,well,
According to Obama.
Gunfire, explosions in 'terror attack' at Burkina Faso hotel
hey,,,,i will take Kimberleys legs over Hillarys any day.
so can we assume that George Bush was not involved on this attack? or Global Warming?
apparently Kimberly Guilfoyle's legs came into the picture.
As per reports, attackers raided the hotel overnight, shooting many and taking people hostage in the siege with over 28 people dead and scores injured. An Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group is said to have claimed responsibility for the assault even as security forces managed to free many hostages. Burkina Faso's foreign minister, Alpha Barry said that half of those who had been freed were hospitalized.
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore clarified that 28 people were killed and 54 others wounded. The injured included two Burkinabe police officers, one soldier and one service member from France. CNN has reported that survivors had described horrific scenes of the apparently well-planned siege where attackers paced around and fired at random at those who seemed alive. The report further added that the West African nation's forces had received logistical support from American and French troops.
The state broadcaster revealed that the attackers had earlier attacked a Cappuccino cafe across the street, which had about 100 people, before moving on to the Splendid Hotel, where they seized hostages. Witnesses said the attackers wore turbans and spoke a language not native to Burkina Faso, a former French colony. Soon after the attacks were reported, Canada said that six of its citizens were killed, four of the dead came from the same Ukrainian family and included a nine-year-old girl. Two of the deceased were from Switzerland, that nation's Foreign Ministry said and two French nationals were also said to be among the dead. The United States said one American had died.
It was further reported that the family of an Australian doctor and his wife were kidnapped in the attacks and their whereabouts were not known. A few hours after the attack, local media reports showed Al Qaeda, in the Islamic Maghreb, claiming responsibility for the assault. In the video, Al Qaeda-linked Al-Mourabitoun is said to have confirmed conducting the attack. As per the Mauritania-based Al Akhbar news agency, the group's leader is veteran Al Qaeda figure Mokhtar Belmokhtar. In June last year, the Libya's interim government had reported that Belmokhtar died in an American airstrike.
Al Qaeda claims dreadful and bloody siege of Burkina Faso
Officials from Afghanistan have revealed that a suicide attack was carried out on the residence of a public representative in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday. Ataullah Khyogani, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government said that the bomb attack took place on the provincial council member Obaidullah Shinwari's residence. He explained that the attacker detonated the explosives hidden in his clothes and since the compound of the house was crowded with people who had come together for a family gathering, many lost their lives.
Local media from the region have pointed out that it was a gathering of tribal elders who had gone to the residence to welcome Shinwari's brother Saminullah, who had been held by the Taliban for nine months. Reports say Shinwari's father, Malek Osman, was wounded in the explosion but Shinwari has escaped unharmed. Enamullah Miakheil, spokesman for the Nangarhar Public Health Hospital, said that 13 bodies and 14 wounded people had been brought to the hospital so far.
President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and said in a statement that as "terrorists lose their ability to fight Afghan forces on the battlefield, now they are carrying out terror attacks on residential areas." The compound is said to be close to the Pakistani consulate that was targeted last week in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. However, so far no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing The Shinwari tribe is known for their strong opposition to the presence of the Islamic State group in the eastern province.
Jalalabad comes under brutal suicide bomb attack
Mike Riddering was sitting in a cafe frequented by westerners across the street from the Splendid Hotel in the capital city of Ouagadougou when gunmen rolled up and opened fire. A pastor from nearby Yako who worked with Riddering was able to escape, according to a family friend. "Every week, Mike would go out and feed the widows in the surrounding villages," said Brant Brooks, who has known Riddering for three years, in an interview with Fox News. "He would bring them grains and cooking oil and anything else they might need," added Brooks, who also adopted a son from Riddering's orphanage. State Department spokesman Adm. John Kirby confirmed Riddering's death in a statement late Saturday.
Mike Riddering, an American missionary and orphanage director, was one of 28 persons killed in a Jan. 15 attack by militants in Burkina Faso's capital.
He was one of 28 that were killed in the attack in the city's center. 126 hostages were later freed and four jihadist fighters were killed. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time, as they are with all those affected by this brutality," Kirby said. "I don't think it's a coincidence the attack happened a month after a new president was elected," said Brooks on the timing of the Al Qaeda-affiliated attack. Riddering's wife, Amy Boyle Riddering, confirmed her husband's death in a Facebook post a short time ago. "My best friend, partner in crime and love of my life...You left quite a legacy here. I can only imagine the adventures you are having now," Amy Riddering said..
Mike Riddering had been living in Burkina Faso wife his wife, Amy, and an adopted daughter since 2011. He also has two adult biological daughters who live in the United States. "In 2011 Mike and I left our life in south Florida and traveled with our family halfway around the world to Burkina Faso. He submitted himself to The Lord's Will by dedicating the last four years of his life to advocating and defending the most vulnerable people in society," Amy Riddering said. "He made an eternal impact on an immeasurable number of people in Burkina Faso and throughout the world. His legacy on earth will not be forgotten," she said.
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