OUAGADOUGOU — The Burkina Faso military said 24 soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified militants on an army unit on Monday, updating a previous death toll of 10.

In a statement on Tuesday, the army said it was continuing a land and air operation, launched in response to the attack in northern Burkina Faso, which has been overrun by Islamist violence this year. Seven other soldiers were wounded and five are still missing, it said. </s> At least 24 troops were killed in northern Burkina Faso as a result of a recent attack by militants, local media reported on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) At least 24 troops were killed in northern Burkina Faso as a result of a recent attack by militants , local media reported on Tuesday.

The attack by an armed terrorist group on a military unit in the province of Soum took place on Monday morning, Afriquinfos news outlet reported.

According to Burkina Faso's General Staff, apart from 24 dead, 12 to 17 soldiers are missing and many are critically injured. The militants also seized weapons.

The Army Command said it was conducting a large-scale air and ground operation to search for the attackers and further neutralize them.

There are two major Islamic groups active in Burkina Faso Ansarul islam and the Support Group for Islam and Muslims. </s> OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Unidentified armed militants on Monday killed at least 10 soldiers and wounded many others in an attack on a military unit in northern Burkina Faso, the army said in a statement.

Burkina Faso has been overrun by Islamist violence this year in which hundreds have died and more than 150,000 have been forced to flee, as the influence of jihadist groups spreads across the Sahel region. </s> OUAGADOUGOU — The Burkina Faso military said 24 soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified militants on an army unit on Monday, the heaviest loss for the army in its fight to contain Islamist violence.

The army, which earlier put the death toll at 10, said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack in Koutougou, in northern Burkina Faso’s Soum province.

Seven other soldiers were wounded and five are still missing, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Once a pocket of calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a spillover of Islamist violence from its neighbors, including the kind of ethnic attacks that have destabilized Mali in recent years.

Large swathes of the country’s north are now out of control, raising pressure on President Roch Kabore.

The country’s main opposition party, the Union for Progress and Change (UPC), called for the government to step down, accusing it of failing to counter a rising jihadist threat which has killed hundreds of civilians and caused more than 150,000 to flee.

“It’s a team overwhelmed by the turn of events, which is currently crossing its arms, waiting for how fate will play them and the Burkinabes,” UPC said in a statement.

Deteriorating security prompted the Ouagadougou government to declare in December a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali, including Soum. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption An official said Friday's attack was the biggest jihadist assault ever carried out against the army

Twelve soldiers have been killed and two are missing after an attack by Islamist militants near Burkina Faso's border with Mali, the army has said.

Insurgents who carried out the attack did so on pick-up trucks and motorbikes, waving black flags.

The soldiers were in the area to guard Burkina Faso's long and porous border with Mali, where a number of Islamist groups are active.

No group is reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack.

However al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is based in the Sahara Desert between Mali, Niger and Algeria and has attacked west African countries.

In January AQIM claimed to have killed 29 people - many of them foreigners - in a hotel attack in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

Soum Province High Commissioner Mohamed Dah told the AFP news agency that Friday morning's attack - about 260km (160 miles) from Ouagadougou - was "the biggest jihadist attack ever perpetrated" against the army.

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"They [the attackers] were heavily armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers. They opened fire at the depots, the tents and set fire to some of the vehicles," he said.

The "murderous" attack on "the army's anti-terrorist force" has been denounced by President Rock Marc Christian Kabore in an address to the nation.

Image copyright AP Image caption In January the security forces had to deal with an attack by militants on a hotel frequented by foreigners in Ouagadougou

"I strongly condemn this horrible attack which shows the cruelty of these perpetrators," he said.

Authorities have not revealed how many troops were injured.

The army says it has sent reinforcements to the Mali border, an area where attacks and abductions are regularly reported. </s> OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Unidentified militants killed at least 10 soldiers and wounded many others in an attack on a military unit in northern Burkina Faso on Monday, the army said.

Burkina Faso has been overrun by 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.

Monday’s attack occurred in the early hours of the morning in Koutougou in Soum province, an army statement said, without providing much further detail.

“In reaction to this barbaric attack, a vast air and land search operation is seeking to neutralise the many assailants,” the statement said.

Once a pocket of calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a spillover of Islamist violence from its neighbors, including the kind of ethnic attacks that have destabilized Mali in recent years.

Deteriorating security prompted the Ougadougou government to declare a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali in December, including Soum. </s> Soldiers in Burkina Faso killed 146 jihadists in response to a terrorist attack in which 14 civilians were killed, the Amy said on Tuesday.

Militants killed 14 people when they attacked the town of Kain near the West African nation’s border with Mali on Sunday, army spokesman Lamoussa Fofana said in a statement released.

The army launched ground and air operations to search for the terrorists, with the operation still ongoing, according to the spokesman.

Heads of state of the G5 Sahel met in the capital, Ouagadougou.

The group includes Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad and was set up to fight terrorism and organised crime in the Sahel region.

The north of Burkina Faso, which borders on Mali and Niger, serves as a refuge for Islamist extremists, who also regularly attack the civilian population.

Bukina Faso, a country of roughly 20 million people, belongs to the world’s 10 poorest nations, according to the United Nations. (dpa/NAN) </s> At least 12 Burkina Faso soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack on an army base near the Burkina-Mali border on December 16, 2016. By Dominique Faget (AFP/File)

Ouagadougou (AFP) - At least 12 Burkina Faso soldiers were killed Friday in what local authorities said was the biggest ever jihadist attack on the army, at a base near the restive border with Mali.

"A detachment of our army's anti-terrorist force suffered a murderous attack which claimed the lives of 12 of our valiant soldiers and left some wounded," said President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, in an address to the nation.

"I strongly condemn this horrible attack which shows the cruelty of these perpetrators," added Kabore, who did not specify the number of injured.

Two more men were missing after around 40 jihadists riding pick-up trucks and motorbikes attacked the army's Nassoumbou base some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Burkina-Mali border, the high commissioner of Soum province, Mohamed Dah, earlier told AFP by phone.

"They were heavily armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers. They opened fire at the depots, the tents and set fire to some of the vehicles," he said, adding that it was "the biggest jihadist attack ever perpetrated" against the army.

Dah added that at least five attackers were killed although their bodies were removed from the scene by other assailants on motorcycles.

A security source who asked not to be named said the assailants were wearing turbans and waving black jihadist flags.

Troops at the Nassoumbou base are part of a 600-strong anti-terrorist battalion that was deployed in January 2013 when France sent in troops to counter a jihadist insurgency in northern Mali.

This was the second direct attack against the Burkina army since jihadist assailants surfaced in the country in early 2015, mostly staging attacks in the north near the borders of Mali and Niger.

But in January this year, three jihadists left dozens of people dead and 71 injured in an attack in the heart of the capital.

Thirty people were killed when gunmen stormed the four-star Splendid Hotel and a nearby cafe in Ouagadougou.

The Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group behind a string of attacks in west Africa in recent years claimed responsibility for the strikes on the venues which were popular with Westerners.

The army has, since 2012, had an anti-terrorist battalion deployed along the country's long border with Mali, an area which is frequently subjected to attacks and kidnappings.

In October, Kabore had called on his countrymen to help fight back against the mounting jihadist threat. </s> At least 12 Burkina Faso soldiers have been killed near the restive border with Mali in what authorities say is the biggest jihadist attack on the Burkinabe army.

“A detachment of our army’s anti-terrorist force suffered a murderous attack, which claimed the lives of 12 of our valiant soldiers and left some wounded,” said President Rock Marc Christian Kabore, in an address to the nation.

“I strongly condemn this horrible attack which shows the cruelty of the perpetrators,” added Kabore, who did not specify the number of injured.

Two more men were missing after around 40 jihadists riding pick-up trucks and motorbikes attacked the army’s Nassoumbou base, some 30 kilometres from the Burkinabe-Mali border, the high commissioner of Soum province Mohamed Dah earlier said by phone.

“They were armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers. They opened fire at the depots, tents and set fire to some of the vehicles,” he said, adding that it was the biggest jihadist attack ever perpetrated against the military.

Dah added that five attackers were killed though their bodies were taken by other assailants.

A security source said the assailants were wearing turbans and waving black flags.

Troops at the Nassoumbou base are part of a 600-strong anti-terrorist battalion deployed in January 2013 when France sent in soldiers to counter a jihadist insurgency in northern Mali. ()
Suspected Islamist militants launch an attack on an Burkina Faso Armed Forces unit, killing 24 Burkinabé soldiers and wounding 7 others, the heaviest loss for the army in its fight to contain Islamist terrorism. The army said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack.