Siege Ends in Burkina Faso Hotel Attack, 27 Dead

At least 126 people were freed and four extremists killed in a military operation after gunmen had earlier attacked a hotel that was popular with Westerners in Burkina Faso Friday evening -- in what French officials called a "terrorist attack" for which Al-Qaeda militants claimed responsibility.

Burkina Faso and French forces killed the three extremists, and they regained control of the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Minister of Security and Internal Affairs Simon Compaore said Saturday, according to The Associated Press. 

A fourth extremist was killed when security forces were clearing out a nearby hotel, said President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who added that two of the three attackers were female. 

Along with the extremists, at least 23 people were killed and 33 wounded after gunmen attacked the Splendid Hotel and a nearby cafe. 

Eyewitnesses said two car bombs went off outside the Splendid around 8:30 p.m. local time.  

A U.S. official said that all embassy and military personnel were accounted for but they were trying to ascertain the whereabouts of other Americans who may have been in the area. 

According to the message from the American embassy, there were "reports of fire and gunfire in the area of Hotel Splendid and Café restaurant Cappuccino."

Both the French and American embassies warned their citizens to stay away from the downtown area.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming its fighters broke into the hotel's restaurant.