Burkina Faso army admits killing civilians in counter-terrorist strike

Burkina Faso army officers patrol near a French armored vehicle parked in Kaya, capital of Burkina Faso's north-central region on Nov 20, 2021. (OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

OUAGADOUGOU – Burkina Faso’s army said on Wednesday that it accidentally killed civilians during a counter-terrorist operation in the ccuntry’s southeast earlier this week.

Burkina Faso’s army did not say how many civilians were killed. The victims were hit by projectiles in the zone between Kompienga and Pognoa, near the border with Togo, on Monday, it said

The West African country has been battling an insurgency by Islamist militant groups, some linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, which control large swathes of territory and wage frequent attacks.

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“During operations which made it possible to neutralize several dozen terrorists, the strikes unfortunately caused collateral victims within the civilian population,” the army said in a statement.

It did not say how many civilians were killed. The victims were hit by projectiles in the zone between Kompienga and Pognoa, near the border with Togo, on Monday, it said.

This AFP graphic dated March 21, 2019 shows the map locating Ghana, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso and their capital cities in Africa.

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Togo, which has been contending with the spillover of militancy from Burkina Faso, accidentally killed seven civilians in an air strike last month near the same border.