Shots, explosions heard from major hotel in Burkina Faso capital: AFP

[ex OUAGADOUGOU AFRICA (AFP) - Shots and explosions were on Friday heard coming from one of Ouagadougou's main hotels, an AFP journalist near the scene reported.

A car was seen on fire in front of the Splendid Hotel, located in a busy, central area of the Burkina Faso capital and regularly used by United Nations staff and westerners.

Shots, explosions heard from major hotel in Burkina Faso capital: AFP


It looks like another act of ISIS, more to follow...it is developing, but I would NOT be surprised to hear ISIS- I am searching for more 411 now

a reply to: ReadLeader

Just in case no one knows, this is in Africa

OP not complaining but it would be awesome if you could put some specifics lol

Prayers and positive thoughts for all afflicted.

Here's a little recent history from Burkina Faso that is pretty interesting, it's a long article but well worth reading for context.

Source
Published: September 23, 2015 at 12:38 am
Washington, DC (SCF) – There are significant indications that the U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, engineered a military coup in Burkina Faso in order to protect U.S. military bases in the impoverished West African nation. General Gilbert Diendere, the former military aide to the longtime Burkinabe dictator, Blaise Compaore, overthrew Burkina Faso’s interim democratic government and established a ruling junta inaptly called the “National Council for Democracy” with himself as the head.

Armed troops loyal to Diendere, the chief of the feared presidential guard that brutally enforced order during Compaore’s 27-year rule, stormed into a Cabinet meeting in the Burkinabe capital of Ouagadougou and placed President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Yacouba Zida under house arrest. There were indications that General Diendere overthrew the government in order to restore Compaore to power.

AFRICOM and the CIA, 'secret bases'...

Source
Diendere has been an active participant in AFRICOM’s annual FLINTLOCK military exercises. He even served as the chairman for the Burkina Faso FLINTLOCK Committee. Under the rule of Compaore, Burkina Faso permitted AFRICOM and the CIA to set up two secretive bases inside Burkina Faso, one a drone base at Ouagadougou Airport with the operational code-named of CREEK SAND and a classified regional intelligence fusion center attached to the U.S. embassy in Ouagadougou bearing the code-named of AZTEC ARCHER.

AFRICOM heavily relied on Diendere to support the U.S. Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism Partnership and U.S. military special operations against Islamist guerrillas active in Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and southern Algeria. AFRICOM also provided training to Diendere’s elite Presidential Security Regiment (RSP) that carried out the coup against Burkina Faso’s democratic transitionary government. Diendere’s closest AFRICOM liaison officer was U.S. Army Colonel Kurt Crytzer.

a reply to: ManBehindTheMask

10 - 4 thanks, ans sorry; added,

ty MBTM

From OP source:

The gunmen stormed the hotel, burning cars outside and firing in the air to drive back crowds before security forces arrived, prompting an intense exchange of gunfire.

A Reuters witness saw gunmen emerge from the hotel and fire into the air to keep crowds away. A vehicle carrying security personnel arrived and shortly afterwards and intense gun battle began.

Now I am no expert in terrorism but firing into the air to keep people away?

Hmmm.

Thanks for the heads up OP, do you think something smells a little fishy with the narrative?

a reply to: Jonjonj

Jon, yes fishy,

OUAGADOUGOU AFRICA

Gunfire has erupted near a luxury hotel in the centre of Burkina Faso's capital city and explosions can be heard, witnesses have said.

The gunmen stormed the four-story Splendid Hotel in downtown Ouagadougou firing in the air to drive back crowds before security forces arrived.

An intense exchange of gunfire between the gunmen and police followed, according to a Reuters witness.

a reply to: Jonjonj

That same line struck me as very strange as well---if the motive is to cause terror and carnage, why fire into the air?
Looking for more details turns up the very same story from several sources but no new info.

a reply to: diggindirt

It would not surprise me if this were a local government operation under the guise of a terrorist attack. It is very often very easy for a government to use a common enemy to accomplish goals it would otherwise have found difficult to achieve. More information in days to come I suppose.

a reply to: Jonjonj

First this is my country of origin and i am a little more than worried.
The situation is getting to the point where i am seriously considering going back home to help fight this insurgence in terrorism.
First reports mentioned Al shabab and now reports from twitter mentioning more than a 100 feared dead including a dozen french officials in a security council inside the hotel.
I will try to keep updating if anything pops up.

Here's a link to a later story. It has no good news.
news.yahoo.com...

Ouagadougou (AFP) - At least 20 people have been killed and another 15 wounded Friday in an ongoing Al-Qaeda attack on a hotel in the capital of Burkina Faso popular with United Nations staff and westerners. Gunshots and explosions rocked Ouagadougou's four-star Splendid hotel and the nearby "Cappuccino" restaurant as Burkinabe forces prepared an assault to rescue hostages still trapped inside the hotel. Officials said French forces could join a counter-assault on the hotel, where assailants were apparently still holed up more than three hours after the attack began.

My heart goes out to those involved.

My heart goes out to those involved too.

Well, it looks like it was terrorists and 23 dead

An Al-Qaeda affiliate in Africa has claimed responsibility for the attack.

link