26 Dead After Terrorists Attack Burkina Faso Hotel

A luxury hotel in the landlocked West African nation of Burkina Faso, was the scene of a devastating terrorist attack late last night. The ‘Splendid Hotel’ which is a popular destination for Westerners, UN officials, and diplomats, was seized by a small group of terrorists after several explosions and sporadic gunfire rocked the building.

Local and French security forces immediately surrounded the building and laid siege to the terrorists, before attacking them and rescuing 150 hostages several hours later. The terrorists engaged with security forces throughout the night, until the final attacker was killed this morning. Burkina Faso’s government has said that 26 people from 18 nations were killed, and another 56 were injured. At least 4 of the attackers were killed, and an Al-Qaeda linked group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to witnesses, the attackers repeatedly executed patrons of the hotel when they weren’t engaging the security perimeter outside the building. “As soon as you lifted your head they would shoot straightaway, so you had to pretend to be dead. And they even came to touch our feet to check if we were alive. As soon as you were alive, they would shoot at you.” A Slovenian survivor reported that they were targeting Westerners. “They kept coming back and forth into Cappuccino. You’d think it was over, then they’d come back and shoot more people. They would come back and see if the white people were moving and then they would shoot them again.”

Experts believe that the unprecedented attack, which was unheard of in the past, may be related to the recent ousting of Burkina Faso’s dictator, President Blaise Compaore. Compaore had strong ties to the militants, who had worked with the government before he was removed from power.

Did the US Government back a coup against Compaore last year?