At least 18 members of the armed forces were killed on Wednesday March 22 in a jihadist attack in a locality near Kaya, in the north-central part of the country, APA learnt on Thursday.
A joint unit composed of soldiers and army auxiliaries which was providing security for the Dem dam in the locality of Zorkoum, located 10 kilometers from Kaya, capital of the Centre-North region, was targeted on Wednesday at around 8 a.m., several sources reported.
At least 18 people, including eight soldiers and 10 civilian auxiliaries, were killed and others wounded, an army officer said, adding that some 30 terrorists were “neutralised” in the response. Significant material damage was recorded.
Although the attack has not yet been claimed, journalist Atiana Serge Oulon, a specialist in jihadist movements in Burkina Faso, said the incident was the work of the local jihadist group, Ansarul Islam of Jafar Dicko, affiliated with the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the Sahelian branch of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The attack came as Captain Ibrahim Traore began a 48-hour working visit to the North Central region, according to the President of Burkina Faso. Sources said he went to the scene to see and encourage the soldiers on the front lines of the fight against terrorism.
Burkina Faso has been a regular target for jihadist groups’ abuses since 2015. According to the Global Terrorism Index released earlier this week by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Burkina Faso is the second most affected country by terrorism in 2022, with 310 terrorist incidents resulting in 1,135 deaths and 496 injuries.
Nearly two million people have been displaced by the actions of armed terrorist groups.
DS/ac/lb/abj/APA