14 soldiers killed in Burkina Faso attack

SANAA, Oct. 05 (YPA) – At least 14 soldiers were killed in a takfiri attack on their detachment in the north of the country on Monday morning, Burkina Faso’s defence ministry said

“The military detachment of Yirgou” in the Centre-Nord region’s Barsalogho department was “the target of a terrorist attack” around 0500 GMT on Monday, junior defence minister General Aime Barthelemy Simpore said.

“Fourteen soldiers were killed during the fighting and seven wounded were evacuated,” he said in a statement, with the death toll higher than the nine given earlier by security sources.

“Several terrorists were neutralised during the response,” he added, praising the soldiers’ “great fighting spirit”.

A ground and air counter-offensive was immediately launched to “neutralise the attackers,” he added.

For his part, security source told AFP that there was also an “enormous” amount of equipment lost, with some being burnt and some taken away by the attackers.

“Combing operations are under way with reinforcements deployed in the area,” a government source said.

Burkina Faso has been regularly hit by deadly jihadist attacks since 2015, mostly in the northern and eastern regions close to the Mali and Niger borders.

E.M