At least 17 killed in Burkina Faso restaurant terror attack

(CNN)At least 17 people were killed and eight others wounded after a number of assailants attacked a restaurant in Burkina Faso around 9 p.m. local time Sunday (5 p.m. ET), according to state-run media RTB.

The attack took place in Ouagadougou, the capital of the West African nation. It's not known how many attackers were involved.

Attackers barricaded themselves in the Istanbul restaurant on Avenue Kwame Nkrumah in the center of the city, RTB reports, citing authorities.

Burkina Faso Communications Minister Remis Dandjinou called the raid a "terrorist attack," according to Reuters, and said the victims were from a number of countries. Efforts are underway to identify the bodies so the authorities can inform their families.

State media RTB reported that two "terrorists" had been killed.

After the attack, a security perimeter was established by the Defense and Security forces and all roads leading up to the Ouagadougou International Airport were closed.

The Prosecutor's Office is investigating the incident.

Ongoing issue

Militants have targeted civilians in Burkina Faso previously, most notably in 2016 when attackers raided a luxury hotel in Ouagadougou, shooting some and taking others hostage in a siege that lasted hours and ended with 29 people dead.

An al Qaeda-linked terrorist group, Al-Mourabitoun, claimed responsibility for that assault, which had similarities to one at the Radisson Blu Hotel in neighboring Mali in November the previous year.

That attack left 22 people dead.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com