The Togolese Army reported on Tuesday that it had foiled a terrorists attack that left “many” soldiers hurt in the remote village of Blamonga near the Burkina Faso border.
As insurgents groups operating in the Sahel appear to be steadily moving closer to coastal West Africa, the attack, which happened on Monday, was the fifth to occur in the nation since last year.
“At around 22:00 GMT, security forces from operation Koundjoare were once again victim of a complex attack involving an improvised explosive device on one of our patrols in the village of Blamonga,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Samah Soussou, a defence spokesman told newsmen.
“Members of the terrorists armed groups opened fire. Our soldiers, who are brave and determined, fired back vigorously, forcing the enemy to retreat,” said Soussou.
“Unfortunately, we have recorded several injured who are being taken care of,” he added, without giving further details.
According to the officer, the militants made their way back to Burkina Faso, making it challenging to chase them across the border.
On the Togolese side, though, a clearance operation is still going on, he noted. The deadliest attack occurred in July when gunmen struck four communities in the north.
Although the government has not released an official death toll, local media reported that the incident claimed at least 15 lives. In a raid in May that was claimed by terrorists with ties to Al-Qaeda, eight troops were killed.
In June, gunmen engaged Togo forces in gunfire outside a military checkpoint in the Goulingoushi region before being driven back across the border.
In order to give security forces additional operating latitude, the nation proclaimed a state of emergency early this year in provinces in its far northern region.