Ouagadougou: Seventeen people have been killed in a suspected extremist attack on a restaurant in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, the government said Monday.
“The attack claimed 17 victims, their nationalities are yet to be confirmed, and eight injured,” according to a government statement.
Soldiers launched an operation against the suspected extremists, an AFP journalist said.
Witnesses said that three armed men arrived in a 4x4 at around 9.30pm and opened fire on customers seated outside the cafe.
Police and army arrived at the scene and sporadic gunfire could be heard into the night, the journalist said.
Burkina Faso, a poor landlocked nation bordering Mali and Niger, has seen a string of attacks claimed by extremist groups in recent years.
By far the worst was an assault on a hotel and nearby cafe in central Ouagadougou in January 2016 that killed 30 people including several foreigners.
