Burkina Faso's commander general says armed forces have killed 146 jihadists in three counterattack operations in the northwest near its border with Mali.

General Moise Minoungou spoke on National Television late on Monday saying armed men entered Kain village early on Monday and killed 14 men and women. He said Burkina Faso's army responded by fighting in Kain, about 80km from Ouahigouya in the north Yatenga province. With air support it also fought in Bahn in the north region and Bomboro in the Boucle du Mouhon region.

He said the combined operations killed 146 jihadists fleeing to Mali.

Islamic extremists have increased attacks in Burkina Faso's Sahel region, also shifting to the forested east near the Niger border.

Burkina Faso is part of the G5 Sahel regional counterterror force.

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FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook.</s>Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso's commander general says armed forces have killed 146 jihadists in three counterattack operations in the northwest near its border with Mali.

General Moise Minoungou spoke on National Television late Monday saying armed men entered Kain village early Monday and killed 14 men and women. He said Burkina Faso's army responded by fighting in Kain, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Ouahigouya in the north Yatenga province. With air support it also fought in Bahn in the north region and Bomboro in the Boucle du Mouhon region.

He said the combined operations killed 146 jihadists fleeing to Mali.

Islamic extremists have increased attacks in Burkina Faso's Sahel region, also shifting to the forested east near the Niger border.

Burkina Faso is part of the G5 Sahel regional counterterror force.

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.</s>Burkina Faso's armed forces have killed 146 jihadists in three counterterror operations in the northwest near the border with Mali, the army's said.

The army's response came after armed men attacked Kain village in province early Monday, killing 14 people, Gen. said on national television Monday night. The response, including air support, included fighting in Bahn in the north region and Bomboro in the Boucle du Mouhoun region.

The statement said there were and no deaths among security forces.

Islamic extremists in recent months have increased attacks in Burkina Faso's volatile Sahel region. A Canadian man was recently kidnapped and killed, and another Canadian and Italian are missing.

Gunmen in the past week killed at least 14 people in attacks on a marketplace and military base in the Sahel region. The base in Nassoumbou, in province in the northeast, also was attacked in December 2016, with 12 military personnel killed.

is part of a five-nation regional counterterror force, the G5 Sahel, launched in 2017. Other members are Chad, Mali, and</s>OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso -- Burkina Faso's commander general says armed forces have killed 146 jihadists in three counterattack operations in the northwest near its border with Mali.

Gen. Moise Minoungou spoke on National Television late Monday saying armed men entered Kain village early Monday and killed 14 men and women. He said Burkina Faso's army responded by fighting in Kain, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Ouahigouya in the north Yatenga province. With air support it also fought in Bahn in the north region and Bomboro in the Boucle du Mouhon region.

He said the combined operations killed 146 jihadists fleeing to Mali.

Islamic extremists have increased attacks in Burkina Faso's Sahel region, also shifting to the forested east near the Niger border.

Burkina Faso is part of the G5 Sahel regional counterterror force.</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>OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Burkina Faso's armed forces have killed 146 jihadists in counterterror operations in the northwest near the border with Mali, the army's commander general said.

The response came after armed men attacked Kain village in Yatenga province early Monday, killing 14 people, Gen. Moise Minoungou said on national television late Monday. The operations, including air support, also targeted Bahn in the north region and Bomboro in the Boucle du Mouhoun region.

The statement said there were light injuries and no deaths among security forces.

Islamic extremists in recent months have increased attacks in Burkina Faso's volatile Sahel region. A Canadian man was recently kidnapped and killed, and another Canadian and Italian are missing.

Burkina Faso on Tuesday hosted the leaders of the five nations in a regional counterterror force, the G5 Sahel, launched in 2017. Other members are Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

Japan announced $23 million in support, plus $2.7 million for Burkina Faso, as the force continues to be underfunded.

Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou said the G5 Sahel will focus on developing methods to stem the growth of extremism.

"It is not only about security and economy but also ideology," he said.</s>The commander general of Burkina Faso's army says five gendarmes are dead and three wounded after jihadists retaliated against counterterror operations that killed 146 of their fighters earlier this week.

Commander Gen. Moise Minoungou also said late Tuesday that armed forces killed 21 jihadists after they attacked a military base in Oursi.

Minoungou encouraged the population to continue collaborating with security forces against the growing jihadist presence in the West African nation.

Islamic extremists in recent months have increased attacks in Burkina Faso's volatile Sahel region, which is now under a state of emergency.

Burkina Faso is part of a regional counterterror force, the G5 Sahel, launched in 2017. Other members are Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.</s>The Burkinabe Defence and Security Forces (FDS) has claimed that 146 militants suspected over the killing of 14 civilians in Kain, a locality in the northern region have been neutralized.According to a statement by the FDS, the militants were put out of action in operations in the north (Kain and Banh) and in the northwest (Bomboro).

The operations were carried out in retaliation for the death of 14 civilians in Kain, killed in their homes in the night of Sunday, the statement added.

“This response by the Defence and Security Forces has resulted in a land and air operation,” the army statement said, adding that the FDS had suffered no casualty.

Notwithstanding the state of emergency declared on 31 December 2018 in six regions, militant attacks have escalated in recent weeks in Burkina Faso, after a particularly deadly year.

The operations by the Burkinabe army took place on the eve of the fifth conference of Heads of State of the G5 Sahel that Ouagadougou is hosting on Tuesday.

At the end of the meeting, the President of Burkina Faso will replace his Nigerien counterpart as president of the G5 Sahel.</s>In Burkina Faso, 14 civilians have been killed in a terrorist attack in the northern region of the West Africa nation near the Mali border.

The military conducted raids and “neutralised” 146 militants. The terror attack, which took place in the town of Kain in the Yatenta province on the night of Sunday to yesterday, is one of the most serious recorded in the country.
A Burkinabé military operation reportedly kills 146 jihadists after the Al-Qaeda-linked militants killed 14 people in other attacks.