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1st LD: Al-Qaida group raids Burkina Faso hotel, at least 20 dead

Xinhua, January 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least 21 were killed and 15 others wounded after an Al-Qaida affiliate attacked the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, and took hostages there Friday.

SITE Intelligence group, a U.S.-based monitor group said on its website "Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed credit for the raid at the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, reporting its execution by the recently-joined al-Murabitoon Battalion."

Burkina faso security forces have begun assult to recapture the hotel and rescue hostages. Some hostages have been freed, media reported.

The Splendid Hotel often hosts Westerners, including UN staff and journalists, CNN reported, adding that two car exploded outside the hotel before six gunmen raided the hotel and took hostages there. Enditem