AQIM claims Burkina Faso attack

Jihadists attacked the Splendid Hotel in the central Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, setting cars ablaze and firing randomly, leaving 28 dead on Jan. 15.  All but five of those killed were foreigners. The siege ended with a joint operation by Burkinabe and French commandos, in which at least four assailants were killed—including both Arabs and Black Africans. French special forces are stationed outside Ouagadougou as part of ongoing counter-terrorist operation in the Sahel. In an online statement entitled "A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts," al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said the attack was carried out by "mujahideen brothers" of its West African franchise, al-Mourabitoun. The statement boasted of "many dead Crusaders," although the victims appear to have been entirely civilians. (BBC News, DW, RFI, AP, NYT)

  1. Qaeda faction cliams Burkina Faso attack

    Gunmen have launched twin attacks in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, against the French embassy and army headquarters. Eight security personnel and eight attackers were killed in the fighting while 80 people including civilians, were wounded, officials say. The faction Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) (BBC News, Reuters)