Army said seven soldiers and 80 militants were killed as the army repelled Tuesday’s attack .
Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore (Photo: IANS)
At least 35 civilians, most of them women were killed after Jihadists attacked a town in northern Burkina Faso, according to the President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Tuesday.
A large group of jihadists attacked simultaneously the military detachment and civilians in Arbinda, province of Soum, the army said in a statement.
The violence lasted for several hours, the statement further said.
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Army said seven soldiers and 80 militants were killed as the army repelled Tuesday’s attack .
President Kabore declared two days of national mourning in the landlocked West African country.
Earlier this month, at least 14 people were killed after gunmen opened fire inside a church in eastern Burkina Faso. Jihadist attacks have increased in Burkina Faso since 2015.
Last month, at least 37 people were killed and several injured after gunmen ambushed a convoy transporting workers of Canadian gold miner Semafo in eastern Burkina Faso.
In December, a police vehicle was attacked on the same road, resulting in five deaths.
Last year, Semafo, which operates two mines in Burkina Faso, was hit by two deadly attacks.
Burkina Faso is an impoverished and politically fragile country in the Sahel, and its security forces are badly equipped, poorly trained and underfunded.
A number of Islamic extremist groups are known to operate in Burkina Faso, and jihadist attacks are frequent in the area.
(With inputs from agency)
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