28 People Killed In Burkina Faso 12-Hour Siege; Forces Gunned Down 4 Al-Qaeda Attackers
Four reported Al-Qaeda terrorists and at least 28 others were killed after the former attacked a hotel and a café in Burkina Faso on Friday. According to reports, the 12-hour deadly siege ended after special forces gunned down four suspects, including to women.
A survivor from the attack said they had to pretend to be dead just to stay alive.
"We had to play dead," a survivor said, as noted by The Telegraph Saturday. "They shook people by the foot to see if they were alive or not and if they were alive, they shot them."
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the incident which killed six Canadians.
"Canada strongly condemns the deadly terrorist attacks that took place in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso's capital)," he said Saturday.
"On behalf of all Canadians, we offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed and a speedy recovery to all those injured. We are deeply saddened by these senseless acts of violence on innocent civilians."
The Wall Street Journal forecasted Saturday that 126 individuals who were trapped inside the hotel were freed 9 a.m. of Saturday after the special forces killed three assailants. An official from the Interior Ministry added that the fourth attacker was killed after running into a hotel nearby.
The al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or AQIM claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said in a dispatch that the hotel "is frequented by staff of the nations of global disbelief," adding that the attack was intended "to punish the cross-worshippers for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali, and other lands of the Muslims."
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said 54 others were left with injuries after the attack, including two Burkinabe police officials, one soldier and one service member from France, as per CNN Saturday.
Further reports revealed that two French nationals, one American, two Swiss nationals and a nine-year-old girl were among those who were killed in the deadly siege
