80 terrorists, 7 soldiers killed in militant attack in Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou, December 25: Burkina Faso army has killed 80 militants in a two-pronged attack on a military post and the northern town of Arbinda, the latest deadly incident in an ongoing battle between the West African country and an Islamist insurgency.

 

Ground troops and fighter jets pursued the assailants following an intense battle that lasted several hours near the border with Mali, an army spokesman said in a written statement on Tuesday.

Burkina Faso has been engulfed in fighting since militants in Mali, under pressure from French Special Forces, shifted their focus eastward. The speed with which they have spread has caused the country’s worst humanitarian crisis, while hundreds of people have died in hit-and-run attacks by gunmen on motorbikes.

The Burkina Faso government said earlier this month it will step up spending on defense and security to counter the attacks.

The Islamist militant insurgency spilled over from Mali and guerilla attacks, suicide bombings and landmines have killed hundreds.