The armed forces of Burkina Faso and Niger announced that about a hundred “terrorists” had been killed during a joint operation from November 25 to December 9 at their border, as the two countries have faced increasingly frequent and more bloody jihadist attacks.
The operation allowed “about a hundred terrorists to be neutralized” and “about twenty suspects to be arrested,” the two staffs said in a statement.
Four Burkina Faso army men were killed during the operation when an improvised explosive device exploded in the eastern part of the country, 13 members of the two countries’ armed forces were wounded.
As part of the operation, “several units” of the land forces of the two countries were mobilized.
“Surveillance aircraft and fighters were also mobilized on both sides” of the border to “support the units” conducting ground operations. The headquarters were located in Tilamberi, in western Niger, according to staff.
“Two terrorist bases” were destroyed in the Geritagi area (eastern Burkina Faso) and Kokoloku (western Niger), always according to the announcement, while weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive devices were seized.
Western Niger, eastern Burkina Faso and southern Mali form the so-called transnational border region, which is being torn apart by jihadists who launch frequent and bloody attacks.
The activities of jihadist organizations swearing allegiance to either Islamic State (IS) or Al Qaeda have claimed the lives of hundreds of people in those countries and uprooted part of the population.
In Burkina Faso, the lack of security, a problem that continues to worsen, has caused outrage among the population and pushed President Rock Marc Christian Cabore to oust his government on Wednesday.
Burkina Faso participated in another joint operation from November 21st to November 27th, along with Ivory Coast, Togo and Ghana, countries bordering its southern part. In this operation 304 suspects were arrested, weapons and ammunition were confiscated.
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