OUAGADOUGOU, Oct 7, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Six police officers were killed in an
ambush with an improvised explosive device in northern Burkina Faso, while
another member of the security forces died in a blast in the country’s east,
security sources told AFP on Saturday.
The first attack took place late Friday on a police convoy in the town of
Solle near the border with Mali.
“The leading vehicle ran over a mine and six were killed,” one source
said, adding that the convoy then came under gunfire leaving some other
officers injured.
Another security source said that “at least” six police had died in
Friday’s attack, adding that a search for the attackers was underway in the
area.
Separately, one member of the Burkina Faso security forces was killed late
Saturday and another was injured when a similar device exploded in the
eastern town of Pama, according to a security source.
Local residents say air strikes are being carried out in the forests
surrounding Pama, which are known in the region as a refuge for jihadist
fighters and bandits.
The African country has seen regular Islamist attacks since the start of
2015, especially the north and east of the country.
According to an official count published last month, such attacks have
killed 118 people so far, 70 of whom were civilians.
On Thursday, six soldiers were also killed in the east of the country in
similar circumstances.
Last week the opposition held a demonstration in the capital Ouagadougou
to protest the government’s inability to stem the increasingly frequent
attacks.