Al Azhar, the highest Islamic institution in Egypt, has condemned the terrorist attacks against a hotel and a cafe in Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougou, which left scores of people dead and wounded.

A statement issued by Al Azhar on Sunday said such terrorist and cowardly attacks run counter to the tolerant teachings of Islam and other divine religions.

The statement called for firmly confronting such terrorist attacks and offered condolences to the families of the victims.

Burkina Faso became the latest country to fall victim to extremism in the attacks that left 28 people of 18 different nationalities dead and 50 injured.

Four jihadis also died in the assaults, which began at a cafe on Friday night, spreading to two nearby hotels, all popular with foreigners and UN staff, before the 12-hour siege finally ended.

The militants claimed to be from al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb-affiliated group al Mourabitoun, the same group that took part in the storming of the Radisson hotel in Mali’s capital city last November when 19 people died.

Source: MENA