At least 15 soldiers were killed on Tuesday in northern Burkina Faso when two explosions hit an armored transport vehicle and then soldiers who had rushed to the aid of the first victims, the army said on Tuesday (August 9th). a statement.
This double attack "with an improvised explosive device occurred on the Bourzanga-Djibo axis" in the Center-North region, according to the staff.
"The results of the two incidents show 15 fallen soldiers and one injured" and also caused "material damage", he adds.
It was committed "during an escort mission led by a military unit of the 14th Combined Arms Regiment (RIA)", indicates the staff.
"One of the vehicles in the convoy, carrying fighters, indeed jumped on an explosive device near the locality of Namsiguia", in the province of Bam, he specifies, adding: "While the operations were organized rescue and security, a second machine was obviously activated remotely, causing many victims.
According to the army, "reinforcements were immediately dispatched to the scene of the incident to ensure the evacuation of the victims" and "security operations are currently underway in the area".
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
An investigation has been opened to determine the perpetrators, the army said.
The violence of armed jihadist movements
Monday, at least ten civilians, including four auxiliaries of the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), were killed during an attack by suspected jihadists, still in northern Burkina, according to security and local sources.
Last Thursday, nine army auxiliaries and four soldiers were killed in an attack against a unit of the Bourzanga military detachment which was coordinating an offensive action with a group of VDP, according to the army.
The north and east of Burkina are the two regions most affected by jihadist attacks, but the other regions are not spared.
Burkina Faso, where soldiers took power in January promising to make the fight against jihadists their priority, is confronted like several neighboring countries with the violence of armed jihadist movements affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which since 2015 have caused thousands of deaths and some two million displaced persons.
More than 40% of Burkina's territory is outside state control, according to official figures.
On January 24, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, accused of having been unable to stem jihadist violence.
But the security situation has not improved and attacks attributed to jihadist groups have even multiplied in recent months, targeting civilians and soldiers alike.
With AFP and Reuters
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