At least 10 terrorists killed in military crackdown in Burkina Faso

A “dozen terrorists” were “neutralized” during sweep operations between June 7 and 13, after the massacre of at least 132 people in the village of Solhan, Burkina’s armed forces announced Monday, June 14 evening in a statement.

“From June 7 to 13, security and combing operations continued in the vicinity of Solhan. The units deployed carried out offensive reconnaissance and cordon and search operations which resulted in the neutralization (killing, editor’s note) of a dozen terrorists,” the statement said.

These operations have also allowed the destruction of logistical plots. “Rolling stock (vehicles and motorcycles), fuel and various other materials were seized,” said the text.

“An improvised explosive device was also discovered in the vicinity of Solhan, (and) neutralized by specialized teams of military engineers,” according to the army, which said that “operations are still ongoing.

On the night of June 4-5, at least 132 people, according to the government, and 160 according to local sources, were killed in an attack on the village of Solhan, near the border with Mali and Niger.

The attack was the deadliest since the jihadist insurgency began in Burkina Faso six years ago, killing more than 1,400 people and forcing a million to flee their homes.

The Sahelian country has faced increasingly frequent and deadly attacks by jihadist groups affiliated with the Islamic State (EI) group and al-Qaeda since 2015.