Suspected Islamist militants kill 18 in attack on Burkina Faso restaurant

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Suspected jihadists killed at least 18 people and wounded several during a raid on a restaurant in Burkina Faso's capital overnight but security forces shot dead both attackers and freed people trapped inside the building.

"This is a terrorist attack," Communications Minister Remi Dandjinou told a news conference on Monday.

He said the toll was provisional because the security operation was still underway.

Burkina Faso, like other countries in West Africa, has been targeted sporadically by jihadist groups operating across Africa's Sahel. Most attacks have been along its remote northern border region with Mali, which has seen attacks by Islamist militants for more than a decade.

A Reuters witness saw customers running out of the Aziz Istanbul restaurant in central Ouagadougou as police and paramilitary gendarmerie surrounded it amid gunfire.

A woman said she was in the restaurant celebrating her brother's birthday when the shooting started.