Burkina Faso’s Army on Monday killed around 10 terrorists in security operations following the deadliest massacre in the country’s six-year insurgency.
According to Government Local Sources, more than 7,000 people have fled northern Burkina Faso after the attack on the village of Solhan earlier this month which left at least 132 people dead.
The army in a statement said “around 10 terrorists” have been “neutralised” during operations around Solhan between June 7 and 13.
The units deployed offensive reconnaissance as well as seal-off and search operations.
An improvised explosive device was also discovered in the vicinity of Solhan and neutralised by specialist teams,” adding that “vehicles, fuel and various other equipment were seized”. The operations are still under way.
Solhan lies in the “tri-border area”, one of the bloodiest flash points in the Sahel region’s insurgency conflict, where the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger converge.
The Solhan attack is the deadliest since Burkina Faso’s insurgency began in 2015, leaving at least 1,400 dead and forcing an estimated one million 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.
