At least 10 soldiers got killed and dozens injured when some unidentified militants attacked a military unit in northern Burkina Faso on Monday, the army said, adding that it could be the deadliest ever against the armed forces, reported Reuters.
The attack took place in the early hours of the morning in Koutougou in Soum province, an army statement said. No other detail was provided in the statement.
“In the early morning, the military detachment of the Koutougou department in Soum province was the target of a major attack by armed terrorist groups,” said a statement from the army.
“In reaction to this barbaric attack, a vast air and land search operation is seeking to neutralise the many assailants,” the statement added. “A provisional report states that more than a dozen soldiers were killed, and several were wounded.”
The security sources said the death toll could hit 20 dead, with some soldiers still missing. As per reports, the assailants used heavy weapons and burned a large portion of the camp and material. The identity of the attackers or their affiliation was not disclosed.
Burkina Faso has been facing Islamist violence this year that armed forces have been unable to contain. Hundreds of civilians have died and more than 150,000 have fled as the influence of jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State spreads across the Sahel region.
Notably, back in December 2016, an armed attack against Burkina Faso’s army killed 12 soldiers at Nassoumbou, also in Soum province. More than 40 fighters onboard pick-up trucks and on motorcycles laid assault to a military post close to the Mali border.
Overnight on Thursday, armed fighters also raided a village in the restive north, killing 15 people, plundering and burning shops, a regional governor said.
According to the United Nations, Burkina Faso, a country of roughly 20 million people, belongs to the list of world’s 10 poorest nations.
