Ouagadougou, Brunei Faso. At least 27 people were killed and 33 injured, approximately 150 hostages of 18 different nationalities were freed after a lengthy firefight, and four terrorists were killed. A group of armed men stormed the Splendid Hotel and the “Le Cappuccino” café-restaurant, frequented by Westerners and particularly UN personnel. The attack, triggered by two car bombs, was claimed by AQIM (al-Qaeda Islamic Maghreb). Some terrorists reportedly checked into the hotel by posing as ordinary guests. After hours of armed confrontation, the army managed to free hundreds of hostages and kill some members of the commando, probably not all. Witnesses described “a young woman with dreadlocks and others of Arab appearance” who entered the café shouting “Allah akhbar” (Allah is great), where 10 people were killed. In addition to Burkinabe military units, around thirty French special forces men and American intelligence agents are also taking part in the operations (the US has several military bases in the country engaged in the fight against jihadist terrorism in the Sahel).
