Five soldiers, 30 ‘terrorists’ killed in Burkina Faso clash

Five soldiers and 30 “terrorists” were killed in fighting in northern Burkina Faso on Saturday after suspected jihadists attacked a military base in large numbers, said the army.

The army said in a statement that troops in Bourzanga, a town in the northern region that has been bearing the brunt of a jihadist revolt, “vigorously retaliated against an attack on its base on Saturday.”

The attackers were “terrorists who came in large numbers” and were heavily armed, according to the statement.

Five soldiers were killed in the fighting and 10 others were injured.

“The provisional toll is at least 30 terrorists killed,” with others wounded, the military headquarters said, stressing that the enemy “had to retreat in the face of the firepower” of the troops on the ground and the intervention of the air force.

Some of the attackers merged with the civilian population to escape the military, leaving behind weapons, motorcycles and communications equipment.

Burkina Faso troops also seized an armored vehicle and armed pickup trucks used by the attackers, according to the statement.

Burkina Faso has been battered by jihadist raids since 2015, with movements linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

More than 2,000 people have been killed and 1.8 million displaced.

On Thursday, 11 soldiers were killed in a suspected jihadist attack in eastern Burkina Faso.

The new head of state, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, says he has made the security crisis his “priority”.

In January, Damiba deposed elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, accusing him of being ineffective in the face of jihadist violence.

Following a brief respite when Damiba took power, a surge in attacks has claimed nearly 200 lives.