Twelve soldiers killed in attack on Burkina army barracks

At least twelve Burkinabe soldiers were on Friday killed in an attack by Islamist extremists in the north of the country.

The attack happened in the early hours of Friday at an army barracks in the town of Nassoumbou, close to the border with Mali.

It was carried out by a group of about 40 heavily armed assailants using pick-up trucks and motorbikes.

The soldiers were said to be in the area to guard Burkina Faso’s porous border with Mali where a number of Islamist groups are active.

The border crossing between Mali, Niger and northern Burkina Faso has been a scene of regular jihadist attacks since 2015.

In an address to the nation, the Burkinabe president Rock Marc Kaboré denounced the “murderous” attack.

“I strongly condemn this horrible attack which shows the cruelty of these perpetrators,” the president said.

“This attack demonstrates that the fight against terrorism will be without respite and also underscores the necessary decisions that must be taken to give confidence and vitality to our army,” Kabore said.

The attack is the second targeting the Burkinabe army since jihadists attacks became rife in Burkina Faso in 2015. It is considered the deadliest attack on the army so far.

Attacks in Burkina Faso were relatively rare until a major attack by al-Qaeda linked fighters on a hotel in the capital Ouagadougou in January this year.