Burkina Faso Terrorism Kills Several As Militants Attack Turkish Restaurant

UPDATE 6:43 a.m. EDT — The U.S. embassy in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, has lifted its security alert after government forces killed three armed terrorists who opened fire at customers outside the Aziz Istanbul restaurant in the city. However, the embassy asked the citizens to be vigilant and avoid going near Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, the area where the incident occurred.

UPDATE: 4:38 a.m. EDT — The fatalities in the terrorist attack in the capital of Burkina Faso rose to 20. The incident at a Turkish restaurant near Kwame Nkrumah Avenue in Ouagadougou was officially declared over, Nerti U. Katja, a local human rights activist confirmed on Twitter.

UPDATE: 12:10 a.m. EDT — Burkina Faso’s Communication Minister Remi Dandjinou confirmed three militants who attacked the Aziz Istanbul restaurant in the country’s capital Ouagadougou have been killed by security forces, Reuters reported. However, some people are still trapped inside the building.

Original story:

At least 17 people were killed and several injured Sunday after three suspected militants attacked a Turkish restaurant near Kwame Nkrumah Avenue in Ouagadougou, the capital of West African nation Burkina Faso. The attackers opened fire on customers seated outside the Aziz Istanbul restaurant.

The incident, which the country's Communication Minister Remi Dandjinou described as “a terrorist attack,” took place around 9: 00 p.m. local time (5 p.m. EDT). Minutes after the incident was reported, heavy security and several armored vehicles were deployed at the scene. They evacuated people from the area before launching a counterattack on the armed men. According to a report by CBS News, the exchange of gunfire between the security forces and the attackers continued into the early hours of Monday local time. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The attack claimed 17 victims, their nationalities are yet to be confirmed, and eight injured,” Agence France-Presse reported, quoting a government source.

However, a paramedic working at the scene confirmed the identity of one of the victims. “We evacuated 11 people but one of them, a Turk, died on arriving at the hospital,” the paramedic said under the condition of anonymity.

Speaking on national television Monday, Dandjinou said the total number of attackers wasn't known: "They are confined to one part of the building they attacked. Security and elite forces are conducting an operation."

Witnesses described the horrific moment three armed men arrived at the restaurant in a pickup truck Sunday evening and indiscriminately fired at people, BBC reported.

On June 7, the U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory for its citizens traveling to the West African country. It said: "U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Burkina Faso and recommended they avoid travel to the northern part of the Sahel region, and exercise caution in the rest of Burkina Faso, due to continuing threats to safety and security, including terrorism."

The advisory further stated that "U.S. citizens who choose to visit or remain in Burkina Faso should maintain situational awareness at all times, and have evacuation plans that do not rely on the U.S. government assistance." It also asked the citizens to "take steps to mitigate the risk of becoming a victim of violence, including limiting trips to locations frequented by Westerners."

This is not the first time the Burkina Faso, a Muslim-dominated country has been attacked by militants. The poorest country in West Africa has witnessed a string of attacks in the recent years.

In January 2016, militants linked to al-Qaida attacked a hotel in the capital city, killing at least 29 people and injuring dozens. The fatalities included people from 18 nationalities — two were French, two Swiss, one Dutch and six from Canada. The country’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said two of the attackers were identified to be women. He praised the security forces and the first responders for their quick response.

“For the first time in its history, our country has fallen victim to a series of barbaric terrorist attacks. The people of Burkina would nevertheless emerge victoriously. We appeal to the people to be vigilant and brave because we must fight on,” Kabore said at the time.

During that incident, a woman who played dead to survive described her horror.

"We had just placed our meal orders in Cafe Cappuccino and around 15 minutes later we heard gunshots. They started to shoot at everyone. We dropped to the ground and as soon as anyone raised their heads they fired at them immediately. We had to play dead. They shook people by the foot to see if they were alive or not, and, if they were alive, they shot them. They were shooting on the ground floor and then went upstairs and shot downwards as well, and continued shooting," she said.