She said they shook people by the foot to see if they were alive, and if they were, they shot.
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The al-Qaida group claiming responsibility for the carnage released an audio tape titled: “A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts”.
The Italian foreign ministry said on Sunday that the wife and son of Gaetano Santomenna, the Italian owner of Cappuccino, the restaurant that was attacked opposite the Splendid Hotel, were inside when the attack occurred.
At least six Canadians, two French citizens, two Swiss nationals, one Netherlander and one American were killed in the attack, according to their respective foreign ministries. Four of the attackers were killed, two of them reportedly women.
The regional political grouping, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said, it would do everything to end terrorism in the region.
Local radio stations have reported that a group of extremists kidnapped an Austrian doctor and his wife at the countries northern border with Mali on Friday night.
In this image taken from video from AP Television, a freed woman, center, walks past French special forces near the Splendid Hotel, early Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Last month, Burkina Faso swore in Roch Marc Christian Kabore as president, completing the troubled W …
It was not immediately known how many people may have been killed during the siege, though a survivor told hospital director Robert Sangare he estimated the toll could be as high as 20.
About 33 people were wounded and 126 people were freed after the morning call to prayer signaled a new day in this West African nation, said Minister of Security and Internal Affairs Simon Compaore. According to the government of Burkina, a spokesperson for Malian Islamist group Ansar Dine claimed that the couple is now being held by an Al-Qaeda linked extremist group “Emirate of the Sahara”.
“Embassy personnel are in touch with local authorities as they continue to assess the situation and are working to assist all United States citizens in the area”, Kirby said.
A fire had raged in the main entrance of Ouagadougou’s four-star Splendid hotel and screams could be heard from inside as Burkinabe forces prepared an assault to rescue hostages still trapped five hours after the assault began.
Burkina Faso, a landlocked country and former French colony, is the largest cotton producer in Africa and is also rich in gold.
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The abduction followed attacks in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Friday that have left 28 people from 18 countries dead.
