At least 20 people were killed and many more wounded after armed terrorists seized a luxury hotel and nearby restaurant in Burkina Faso, officials said.
The Al Qaeda-linked attackers claimed to have later killed 30 hostages at the hotel and were engaged in a fierce firefight with security forces late Friday.
Gunfire and explosions erupted outside the Splendid Hotel in the West African nation’s capital of Ouagadougou around 7:30 p.m.
Early Saturday, 33 people were rescued by French and Burkinabe soldiers who stormed the hotel, according to Remis Dandjinou, Burkina Faso’s minister of communication.
Earlier, witnesses said at least two massive car bombs went off outside the hotel, and a group of masked men began firing shots into the air.