OUAGADOUGOU — The Burkina Faso military said 24 soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified militants on an army unit on Monday, the heaviest loss for the army in its fight to contain Islamist violence.

The army, which earlier put the death toll at 10, said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack in Koutougou, in northern Burkina Faso’s Soum province.

Seven other soldiers were wounded and five are still missing, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Once a pocket of calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a spillover of Islamist violence from its neighbors, including the kind of ethnic attacks that have destabilized Mali in recent years.

Large swathes of the country’s north are now out of control, raising pressure on President Roch Kabore.

The country’s main opposition party, the Union for Progress and Change (UPC), called for the government to step down, accusing it of failing to counter a rising jihadist threat which has killed hundreds of civilians and caused more than 150,000 to flee.

“It’s a team overwhelmed by the turn of events, which is currently crossing its arms, waiting for how fate will play them and the Burkinabes,” UPC said in a statement.

Deteriorating security prompted the Ouagadougou government to declare in December a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali, including Soum. </s> OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Gunmen killed 24 soldiers in an attack on an army unit in Burkina Faso, the deadliest yet in the West African nation’s fight against Islamist militants, which the president on Tuesday called a “dark stain” on the country’s history.

Seven other soldiers were wounded in the attack on Monday and five are still missing, the military and President Roch Marc Kabore said in separate statements.

The army, which earlier put the death toll at 10, said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack in Koutougou, in northern Burkina Faso’s Soum province.

“August 19th is a dark stain on the life of our national army,” Kabore said in the statement posted on the presidency website. “It is a heavy toll, which ... saddens us.”

Once a pocket of relative calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a homegrown insurgency for the past three years, which has been amplified by a spillover of jihadist violence and criminality from its chaotic neighbor Mali.

Large swathes of Burkina’s north are now out of control, and France’s military Sahel mission began limited operations there earlier this year.

The main opposition party, the Union for Progress and Change (UPC), called for the government to step down, accusing it of failing to counter a jihadist threat which has killed hundreds of civilians and caused more than 150,000 to flee.

“It’s a team overwhelmed by the turn of events, which is currently crossing its arms, waiting for how fate will play them and the Burkinabes,” UPC said in a statement.

Deteriorating security prompted the Ouagadougou government to declare in December a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali, including Soum. </s> OUAGADOUGOU — The Burkina Faso military said 24 soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified militants on an army unit on Monday, updating a previous death toll of 10.

In a statement on Tuesday, the army said it was continuing a land and air operation, launched in response to the attack in northern Burkina Faso, which has been overrun by Islamist violence this year. Seven other soldiers were wounded and five are still missing, it said. </s> OUAGADOUGOU — Gunmen attacked the army’s headquarters in the capital of Burkina Faso on Friday as well as the downtown area and France’s embassy, and the French ambassador said an explosion in the city was a terrorist attack.

It was not clear who was behind the violence, but Burkina Faso and other West African countries have been targeted by jihadist groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State in the past few years.

A local news station showed pictures of black smoke coming from a building in central Ouagadougou, and a Reuters correspondent found that most people had fled the streets.

“Attack under way at the French Embassy and French Institute. Stay hidden where you are,” the embassy said in a statement posted on its Facebook site.

A French official in Paris confirmed that an assault against the embassy was under way, as well as against the Burkina Faso army headquarters.

An explosion rocked the army headquarters and then gunfire rang out in the vicinity. A witness said masked gunmen with backpacks had attacked the army headquarters shortly before the explosion.

Islamist militants have gained a stronger foothold in Africa’s vast Sahel region in the last few years, launching attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Niger.

Suspected jihadists killed at least 18 people last August during a raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, and militants have targeted Burkinabe security forces along its remote northern border region with Mali.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for an attack on a restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou in January 2016 in which 30 people were killed.

Five countries launched a new task force last year to tackle Islamist militants in the region, to which international donors have committed half a billion dollars.

Jean-Marc Châtaigner, France’s ambassador to West Africa’s Sahel region, tweeted: “Terrorist attack this morning in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: solidarity with colleagues and Burkinabe friends.” He urged people to avoid the city center.

After the first big blast, the sounds of a series of smaller explosions and exchanges of gunfire came from the direction of the headquarters. They ceased by around noon. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Soldiers tackled gunmen at the French embassy

Gunmen have launched twin attacks in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, against the French embassy and army headquarters.

Eight security personnel and eight attackers were killed in the fighting while 80 people including civilians, were wounded, officials say.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said there was no doubt it was an act of terrorism.

It is was not immediately clear who had carried out the attack.

Burkina Faso Security Minister Clement Sawadogo said there had also been a suicide car bomb attack at the military HQ that may have intended to target a regional anti-terrorism meeting.

A room was destroyed by the blast, he said, but the meeting had been moved to another location.

Burkina Faso police said in a statement that units had fanned out across the city to increase security and urged people to remain vigilant.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Men were seen escaping from the military HQ after it came under attack

Concentrating minds?

Analysis by Lamine Konkobo, BBC Afrique

There have been rumours of an attack in Burkina Faso for some time, and these even prompted a recent security forces reshuffle.

But this is far bigger than what most people had expected. An attack on the military headquarters strikes at the heart of Burkina Faso's security establishment, while the French embassy is normally one of the safest places in the capital.

Since Emmanuel Macron came to power, France has been trying to mobilise its former colonies in West Africa, and the United Nations, to tackle the Islamist militant groups which operate in the Sahel region south of the Sahara. But, so far, progress has been slow.

This attack may concentrate some people's minds.

What happened?

Early pictures from the scene showed a cloud of black smoke rising into the sky. Witnesses reported seeing armed men getting out of a car and opening fire before heading towards the embassy.

Ouagadougou Mayor Armand Béouindé told France's Le Monde newspaper that the attackers had shot at the town hall and his office windows were shattered. "Apparently, it is a jihadist attack," he said, but gave no further details.

One witness, Omar Zombre, told local TV: "We saw four people who were trying to enter the embassy on the east side. They were in civilian attire, with a kind of vest and backpacks with Kalashnikovs which were clearly visible.

"So they tried, but they didn't manage it and so they tried to enter from the west side. We saw that they had set a car on fire. When we went up [to the roof] we heard gunshots from an automatic weapon, [it was] very intense."

Why is France involved?

The country maintains strong ties with its former colony.

It appears there were no French casualties as a result of Friday's attack, Mr Le Drian said

"Burkina Faso was the victim of an attack by terrorist groups," he added.

"It targeted both the institutions of Burkina Faso - because the Burkinabe army headquarters were targeted - and it also targeted France, which is Burkina Faso's ally in its fight against terrorism."

French President Emmanuel Macron urged French nationals in the country to follow the embassy's advice and stay away from troubled areas.

French forces based in the country were also deployed.

Who was behind previous attacks?

This is the third major attack Ouagadougou has seen in the past two years. Islamist militants said they had carried out the other two.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said it was behind an attack on a restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou in January 2016 that killed 30 people.

France intervened to stop that group taking control of neighbouring Mali in 2013.

But there are numerous other Islamist groups based in the region and militants have carried out attacks in several major West African cities in the past few years.

Burkina Faso also saw a failed coup in 2015. The trial for dozens of the alleged perpetrators began earlier this week but was suspended after defence lawyers walked out in protest against the military court. </s> OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Unidentified militants killed at least 10 soldiers and wounded many others in an attack on a military unit in northern Burkina Faso on Monday, the army said.

Burkina Faso has been overrun by Islamist violence this year that armed forces have been unable to contain. Hundreds of civilians have died and more than 150,000 have fled as the influence of jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State spreads across the Sahel region.

Monday’s attack occurred in the early hours of the morning in Koutougou in Soum province, an army statement said, without providing much further detail.

“In reaction to this barbaric attack, a vast air and land search operation is seeking to neutralise the many assailants,” the statement said.

Once a pocket of calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a spillover of Islamist violence from its neighbors, including the kind of ethnic attacks that have destabilized Mali in recent years.

Deteriorating security prompted the Ougadougou government to declare a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali in December, including Soum. </s> Soldiers in Burkina Faso killed 146 jihadists in response to a terrorist attack in which 14 civilians were killed, the Amy said on Tuesday.

Militants killed 14 people when they attacked the town of Kain near the West African nation’s border with Mali on Sunday, army spokesman Lamoussa Fofana said in a statement released.

The army launched ground and air operations to search for the terrorists, with the operation still ongoing, according to the spokesman.

Heads of state of the G5 Sahel met in the capital, Ouagadougou.

The group includes Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad and was set up to fight terrorism and organised crime in the Sahel region.

The north of Burkina Faso, which borders on Mali and Niger, serves as a refuge for Islamist extremists, who also regularly attack the civilian population.

Bukina Faso, a country of roughly 20 million people, belongs to the world’s 10 poorest nations, according to the United Nations. (dpa/NAN) </s> Gunmen attacked the army’s headquarters in the capital of Burkina Faso on Friday as well as the downtown area and France’s embassy, and the French ambassador said an explosion in the city was a terrorist attack. It was not clear who was behind the violence but Burkina Faso and other West African countries have been targeted by jihadist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State in the past few years.

A local news station showed pictures of black smoke coming from a building in central Ouagadougou and a Reuters correspondent found that most people had fled the streets. “Attack underway at the French Embassy and French Institute. Stay hidden where you are,” the embassy said in a statement posted on its Facebook site. A French official in Paris confirmed that an assault against the embassy was underway, as well as against the Burkina Faso army headquarters.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron is being kept up to date with events in the Burkina Faso capital after gunmen launched an attack in the centre of the city in the vicinity of the French Embassy, the Elysee Palace said on Friday.

An explosion rocked the army headquarters and then gunfire rang out in the vicinity. A witness said masked gunmen with backpacks had attacked the army headquarters shortly before the explosion. Islamist militants have gained a stronger foothold in Africa’s vast Sahel region in the last few years, launching attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Niger.

Suspected jihadists killed at least 18 people last August during a raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, and militants have targeted Burkinabe security forces along its remote northern border region with Mali. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for an attack on a restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou in January 2016 in which 30 people were killed.

Five countries launched a new taskforce last year to tackle Islamist militants in the region, to which international donors have committed half a billion dollars. Jean-Marc Châtaigner, France’s ambassador to West Africa’s Sahel region, tweeted: “Terrorist attack this morning in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: solidarity with colleagues and Burkinabe friends.” He urged people to avoid the city centre. After the first big blast, the sound of a series of smaller explosions and exchanges of gunfire came from the direction of the headquarters. It ceased by around noon.

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Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya </s> Dec 16 A dozen soldiers were killed in northern Burkina Faso when unidentified gunmen attacked a military post near the border with Mali, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on Friday, calling the assailants "forces of evil".

Attacks in Burkina Faso were relatively rare before a major attack by al Qaeda-linked fighters on a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, that killed 29 people in January.

"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.

He said those killed were members of the army's special anti-terrorist group. The army had earlier said that 10 soldiers and one gendarme had been killed.

Islamic militants are active in Burkina Faso's northern neighbour, Mali, and Burkinabe authorities are concerned the long desert border between the two countries could become a transit point for militants.

Friday's attack about 30 km (19 miles) from the Malian border began around 5 a.m. (0500 GMT) and was carried out "by about 40 heavily armed individuals who have not yet been identified," the army said in its statement.

A newly formed militant group led by a fighter formerly loyal to Algeria's Mokhtar Belmokhtar claimed to have attacked a Burkinabe military position in September, and unidentified gunmen killed three Burkinabe soldiers and two civilians in October. (Reporting By Mathieu Bonkoungou; Writing by Aaron Ross and Joe Bavier; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg/Larry King)
Suspected Islamist militants launch an attack on an Burkina Faso Armed Forces unit, killing 24 Burkinabé soldiers and wounding 7 others, the heaviest loss for the army in its fight to contain Islamist terrorism. The army said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack.