Iran slams terrorist attack in Burkina Faso

EghtesadOnline: Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has condemned a terrorist attack on a restaurant in Burkina Faso's capital, which killed at least 18 people, many of them children.

News ID: ۷۷۸۴۸۸

19 August 2017

“Today, terrorism is a global problem and its eradication requires the will and resolve of all countries,” Qassemi said on Tuesday.

As a victim of terrorism, which has made constructive and crucial efforts in the region to fight the ominous phenomenon, the Islamic Republic has always expressed its readiness to cooperate with other countries and share its experience in this regard, he added.

According to PressTV, more than 22 people were wounded after the assailants raided the upscale Turkish restaurant—Aziz Istanbul—in Ouagadougou late Sunday evening and started shooting at people there. The terrorists, who were of foreign origin, also took 170 people hostage. The al-Qaeda Takfiri terror group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Iranian spokesperson further said, “Committing inhuman and violent acts by extremist groups against innocent people has no trace of religious teachings, particularly those of the enlightening religion of Islam,” which cherishes the principles of humanity, mercy and peace.

The Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the attack in Ouagadougou. Defense and security forces also established a security perimeter and closed all roads to the Ouagadougou International Airport.

The attack brought back memories of the January 2016 massacre, which saw assailants launch an attack on a hotel also popular with foreigners and a café in the capital, killing at least 30 people from 18 different nationalities.

Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, shares a northern border with Mali, which has long been battling the al-Qaeda Takfiri terrorists.