Afrasianet - An ongoing hostage situation is being reported at a hotel in the city center of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, after at least three armed turbaned men began shooting at a restaurant and a hotel frequently used by Westerners and UN staff.

Two groups of security forces began an assault to neutralize the situation at the hotel, Reuters quoted a witness as saying. Both groups entered the hotel lobby, according to the witness. No gunfire has been heard, but the lobby was on fire.

A total of 63 hostages have been freed from the “Splendid” Hotel, AFP reported.

Earlier, Burkina Faso’s Communication Minister has confirmed that more than 30 people have been evacuated, including a government minister.

“Liberation of Minister [of the Civil Service, Labour and Social Security] Clement Sawadogo and some thirty hostages. Operation continues,” the minister, Remis Dandjinou, wrote on Twitter.

Some 100-150 people are believed to have been in the hotel and restaurant at the time of the attack, according to witnesses speaking to media.

At least 20 people have been killed and 15 others injured in the ongoing attack, AFP quoted the head of Yalgado Ouedraogo hospital, Robert Sangare, as saying.

“For the dead, we do not have a precise figure, but there are at least 20 dead,” Sangare said. “We have had at least 15 wounded with bullet wounds and others who suffered injuries during the panic to escape.”

The gunmen first attacked a restaurant, which is located across from the hotel and owned by a Ukrainian national, Russia’s Honorary Council in Burkina Faso, Anna Rachina-Kulibali, told TASS.

Rachina said that there are foreign nationals among the dead, adding that is still unknown whether any of the victims were Russian.

“There are foreigners [among the dead], possibly Europeans and locals.”

American and French soldiers were seen gathering on the scene before the counter-assault began, according to local reporters who tweeted out pictures of special forces by the hotel.

Terrorist group Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

In December, AQIM’s senior member called on the extremist group to wage war on several countries, including Burkina Faso.

The shooting was initiated by three armed and turbaned men, an AFP journalist reported from the scene. A car was on fire outside the Splendid Hotel, he added. The property is frequently used by Westerners and UN agency staff.

“It is continuing at this time. We are trying to know how many attackers they are to better coordinate our actions. Hostages have been taken. The operation could take several hours,” an officer who requested not to be named told Reuters.

Ouagadougou imposed a curfew from 2300 GMT to 0600 GMT, France’s ambassador to the country, Gilles Thibault, said on his Twitter account. Meanwhile, the embassy has opened a crisis unit for French nationals. There are over 3,500 French citizens currently residing in Burkina Faso.

A social media user from the West African country reported that a “red level” alert has been announced in the city, with an “ongoing hostage taking in Ouagadougou, deaths, wounded [and] fire.”

The user said that the city center is an “insecure area” and advised the public not to go there and “warn relatives.” He added that it is the Splendid Hotel that is “on fire.”

Suspected Islamist fighters stormed the hotel, burning cars and firing into the air, Reuters reported, citing witnesses and police sources. Security forces that arrived at the scene were involved in an intense exchange of gunfire with attackers.

A cafe popular with westerners located opposite the hotel was also targeted by the attackers, AFP reported, citing an eyewitness.

Local Burkina 24 media also reported gunshots on Avenue Kwameh Krumah in Ouagadougou.

The attack coincides with recent Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) related attacks in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, in which at least 7 people were killed, and another at an Egyptian hotel.

Last November, jihadists carried out a similar attack in Burkina Faso’s neighboring Mali, killing at least 19 in a 190-room Radisson hotel in the capital city of Bamako.

The domestic situation in Burkina Faso has been tense since October 2014, when veteran President Blaise Compaore was overthrown in a five-day protest.