A dozen civilians die in Burkina Faso attack

Suspected jihadists have killed about a dozen villagers and wounded several more in western Burkina Faso, security and local sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on June 17, Report informs via Le Monde.

"Overnight (Friday-Saturday) armed people attacked the village of Sara," 100 kilometers from Burkina's second city Bobo-Dioulasso, the security source said. "Unfortunately we have a dozen dead and several wounded."

A villager, asking not to be named, said, "Nine bodies were buried this Saturday. But two people also died of their wounds, making a total of 11 dead." A second resident said the suspected jihadists "opened fire on a group of people". "Some were mortally wounded inside their homes and others injured," he added.

Another security source said following the shooting, a search operation had been launched in the area and "other regions targeted by the armed groups".

The army said that on Wednesday in the east of Burkina, near Kompienga, troops who came under fire shot dead about 15 "terrorists".

One of the poorest and most troubled countries in the world, Burkina Faso is struggling with a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighboring Mali in 2015. Nearly a third of the country lies outside state control, according to the government.

More than 10,000 civilians, troops and police have died, according to an NGO count, while at least two million people have been displaced. Anger within the military at failures to roll back the insurgency sparked two coups last year.