GUNMEN ATTACKED ON SPLENDID HOTEL-MORE THAN 20 KILLED

 Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, capital of Bukina Faso where mostly foreigners frequent, has been reported siege by suspected Islamist militant. Government forces stormed the facility. In the late  hours of Friday, there was fire blazing and gun shot. the report say not fewer than 15 person is wounded in the attack. Scroll down for more picture from the scene 

The raid began about five hours after gunmen attacked the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou late Friday. A fire was seen blazing in the lobby of the hotel after the raid began.

It was not immediately known how many people might have been killed during the siege, but initial reports said 20 people were dead and another 15 were wounded"It is continuing at this time. We are trying to know how many attackers they are to better coordinate our actions. Hostages have been taken. The operation could take several hours," the officer said, asking not to be named.

A U.S. defense official said AFRICOM, the U.S. military command center for Africa, was monitoring the situation, and that all U.S. defense personnel were  accounted for, contradicting some reports that U.S. military personnel were sheltering in the hotel.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. "strongly condemns the attack," and the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou "is making every effort to account for U.S. citizens in the city."Burkina Faso has endured bouts of political turmoil since October 2014 when President Blaise Compaore was overthrown in a popular uprising. Last September, members of a presidential guard launched a coup that lasted  about a week. The transitional government returned to power until Burkina Faso's November election ushered in new leaders.

However, Islamist militants have carried out attacks at similar hotels in neighboring Mali, including one on the Radisson Blu hotel in November that left 20 people dead.