OUAGADOUGOU, June 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Burkina Faso’s army said Monday that troops had killed around 10 “terrorists” in security operations following the deadliest massacre in the country’s six-year jihadist insurgency.
More than 7,000 people have fled northern Burkina Faso after the attack on the village of Solhan in early June left at least 132 people dead, according to the government. Local sources put the death toll at 160.
The army said in a statement that “around 10 terrorists” had been “neutralised” during operations around Solhan between June 7 and 13.
“The units deployed carried out offensive reconnaissance as well as sealing-off and search operations which allowed them to neutralise around 10 terrorists,” the statement said.
The term “neutralise” is taken to mean “kill” in West African military contexts.
“An improvised explosive device was also discovered in the vicinity of Solhan and neutralised by specialist teams,” the army said, adding that “vehicles, fuel and various other equipment were seized”.
“The operations are still under way,” it added.
Solhan lies in the “tri-border area”, one of the bloodiest flashpoints in the Sahel region’s jihadist conflict, where the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger converge.
The Solhan attack is the deadliest since Burkina Faso’s jihadist insurgency emerged in 2015, leaving at least 1,400 dead and forcing an estimated one million people to flee their homes.
The Sahel country has been hit by increasingly brutal attacks in recent years by groups affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
Prime Minister Christophe Dabire has promised that the massacre “would not go unpunished”. — NNN-AGENCIES
