OUAGADOUGOU — Burkina Faso’s armed forces said they successfully repelled a series of coordinated attacks by armed groups targeting multiple military positions across the country, claiming that more than 400 attackers were killed during counteroffensives backed by airstrikes.
In a statement released by the army, military officials said the assaults were launched simultaneously against several outposts in different regions, in what they described as a “large-scale and coordinated offensive” by armed groups operating in the Sahel region.
The army said its units responded with ground reinforcements supported by air power, enabling them to regain control of the targeted positions and inflict heavy losses on the attackers. “The coordinated enemy attacks were contained and pushed back with decisive action,” the statement said, without providing independent verification of the casualty figures.
Burkina Faso has faced escalating violence in recent years, driven by armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organisation, which have expanded their operations across the Sahel. Large areas of the country remain outside government control, and repeated attacks on military bases have strained national forces.
Security analysts caution that casualty figures released in conflict zones are often difficult to independently confirm, and both government forces and armed groups have been accused in the past of inflating battlefield claims.
The latest clashes come amid ongoing military operations aimed at restoring state authority across rural areas and securing key supply routes, as the government continues its counterinsurgency campaign in the volatile region.
The authorities did not immediately provide details on possible losses among government troops or the exact locations of all the targeted sites.
