Explosions, gunfire rock Burkina Faso's capital in suspected attack by Islamic extremists

[TomSea]

Explosions, gunfire rock Burkina Faso's capital in suspected attack by Islamic extremists
By Associated Press  Mar 02, 2018 | 4:45 AM   OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso

Gunfire and explosions rocked Burkina Faso's capital early Friday in what the police said was a suspected attack by Islamic extremists.

By midday the gunfire became intermittent and helicopters flew over the French Embassy in Ouagadougou. Witnesses at the national television office, which faces the embassy, told the Associated Press that five people in a pickup truck pulled up in front of the embassy and started shooting after shouting "Allahu akbar." They then set fire to the truck, the witnesses said.

Heavy smoke rose from the army joint chief of staff's office in Ouagadougou, and witnesses said loud explosions were still heard around the military headquarters in the western part of the city center and far from the other area under attack, which contains embassies, the prime minister's office and United Nations offices.

Read more at: http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-burkina-faso-20180302-story.html