Al Qaeda Affiliate Claims Responsibility For Killing 53 Members Of Burkina Faso Security Forces

Al Qaeda affiliate Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack that targeted forces in Yatenga, Burkina Faso, killing over 50 personnel, Reuters reports, citing the Site Intelligence Group.

Burkina Faso Army in a statement on Tuesday, announced that 53 members of its security forces were killed.

53 Members Of Burkina Faso Security Forces Killed In Suspected Jihadist Attack –Army

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According to the statement by the general staff of the Burkina Faso Army, of the casualty figures, 17 were soldiers while the remaining 36 were civilian volunteers.

Reuters reports that the attack was the worst in months in the West African country that for years has been overrun by hardline militants.

Burkina Faso has been battling armed groups, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, in its desert north since 2015.

Attacks have worsened this year, making the country the epicentre of a violent movement that has also engulfed poverty-stricken Mali and Niger, killing thousands and forcing millions out of their homes.

Burkina Faso saw two military coups last year, triggered by anger at failures to stem a jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives.

Since 2015, more than 16,000 civilians, troops and police have died in jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso, according to a count by an NGO monitor called the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

More than 5,000 have died since the start of this year.