Deadly Burkina Faso Attack Bears Hallmark of Al Qaeda

Posted: August 14th, 2017

By LTC Rudolph Atallah

Rudolph Atallah is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Africa Center. Before retiring in 2009 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-one years of service in the US Air Force, Atallah's military career included aviation, special operations, intelligence, and counterterrorism. In his last military posting, he served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Africa Counterterrorism Director (2003-2009), while concurrently holding positions as East Africa Director (2003-2007) and Country Director for Morocco and Tunisia (2007-2009). His responsibilities included advising the Secretary of Defense and other senior US officials on counterterrorism policy and strategy while serving as an adviser to the US Department of State and numerous US embassies across Africa.

Early Monday morning, at least two terrorists attacked a prominent Turkish café in the Burkina Faso capital city of Ouagadougou, leaving nearly 20 people dead including at least 8 foreigners from a number of countries, including Kuwait, Canada, France, Lebanon, Nigeria, Senegal, and Turkey. The attackers shot customers on a terrace before they entered the café where they continued their shooting spree until two of the terrorists were killed. Although no group has claimed responsibility as of yet, the incident bears the hallmark of an attack carried out by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or one of its offshoots, which are known for targeting locations frequented by Westerners.

In the last few years. Burkina Faso has witnessed a spike in terrorist incidents. In January 2016, al Qaeda-linked militants killed 30 people and took 170 others hostage in an attack on the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, a place frequented by Westerners.

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