The operation is the latest in a string in West Africa largely targetting foreigners

Gunmen from al-Qaida's North African branch killed 16 people, including four Europeans, at a beach resort town in Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday, the latest in a string of deadly attacks that have confirmed the extremists' growing reach in West Africa.

Six shooters targeted hotels on a beach at Grand Bassam, a weekend retreat popular with westerners about 40 kilometers east of the commercial capital Abidjan, before being killed in clashes with security forces, police said.