Troops backed by French special forces have freed 126 hostages from a hotel in Burkina Faso’s capital after al-Qaeda gunmen staged an attack. At least 22 people were killed and dozens wounded.
The hours-long siege of the luxury Splendid Hotel in the capital Ouagadougou ended on Saturday, leaving three militants dead.
At least 33 of the hostages were wounded as Burkinabe and French security forces flushed out three al-Qaeda affiliated gunmen in a firefight centered around the Splendid Hotel and a nearby restaurant.
While he said the operations at the hotel and restaurant had ended, Burkina Faso’s Interior Minister Simon Compaore added that an assault was continuing at another nearby hotel.