Police are battling with masked jihadi gunmen near a four-star business hotel in Burkina Faso’s capital tonight, amid an ongoing hostage situation.<\/p>\n
Two car bombs exploded outside the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou’s business district before several gunmen stormed the hotel.<\/p>\n
Security forces arrived as the men fired in the air to disperse the gathering crowd and soon engaged in a fierce gunfight with the suspected jihadis as cars burned around them.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said the attackers claimed to be from ISIS, but an Al Qaeda affiliated group nhas reportedly claimed the attack, according to SITE Intelligence Group.<\/p>\n
International newsagency Associated Press has reported that several people have died in the attack, according to a restaurant employee and a police officer was shot trying to reach the Splendid hotel opposite where the attackers remain, according to officers.<\/p>\n
A senior official with the national gendarmes said suspected Islamist fighters had taken an unknown number of hostages.<\/p>\n
‘It is continuing at this time. We are trying to know how many attackers they are to better coordinate our actions. Hostages have been taken. The operation could take several hours,’ the officer said asking not to be named.<\/p>\n
A journalist on the scene told CNN that French and US soldiers arived at the hotel.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses said two car bombs exploded at approximately 7.30pm local time before up to six masked men stormed the hotel.<\/p>\n