A look at major extremist attacks in West Africa

DAKAR, Senegal – A look at major attacks in West Africa by Islamic extremists in recent years:

MARCH 2016: An assault along the beach in Ivory Coast's resort town Grand Bassam left at least 19 dead. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying the three attackers as members of al-Mourabitoun and Sahara units.

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JANUARY 2016: Extremists attacked a cafe near a hotel popular with foreigners in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, killing at least 30 people. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack.

___ NOVEMBER 2015: Jihadists attacked the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, killing at least 20 people. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for that attack, saying it was their first joint attack since al-Mourabitoun joined al-Qaida's North Africa branch in 2015.

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MARCH 2015: An attack at La Terrasse restaurant in Bamako, Mali killed five people including a French citizen and a Belgian national. Al Mourabitoun, or The Sentinels, a northern Mali jihadist group allied with al-Qaida, quickly claimed responsibility. It was the first of its kind in Bamako.