18 killed in Burkina Faso terror attack

At least 18 people have been killed and several others wounded in a “terrorist attack” in the centre of the Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougou.

Gunmen opened fire on customers seated outside a restaurant, witnesses told the BBC.

One Turkish citizen died but other nationalities are yet to be confirmed.

The attack is now over, authorities said, with the two assailants also killed by security forces.

A jihadist attack on a nearby cafe killed 30 people in January last year.

There are fears that the latest attack is the work of one of the affiliates of al-Qaeda that are active in the Sahel region, the BBC reports.

Minister of Communication, Remis Dandjinou, confirmed on Monday that the attack was over, with security forces carrying out checks on neighbouring buildings.

The shooting began shortly after 21:00 (21:00 GMT) on Sunday on Ouagadougou’s busy Kwame Nkrumah Avenue.

Security forces launched a counter assault at 22:15 and the shooting ended at about 05:00 on Monday.