Up to 200 people killed in attack in central Burkina Faso
Al Jazeera
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an armed group linked to al-Qaeda, claims responsibility for the attack.
An armed group linked to al-Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for what it says was an attack that killed up to 200 people and injured at least 140 in central Burkina Faso.
The attack took place on Saturday in the region of Barsalogho, about 40km (25 miles) north of the strategic town of Kaya, which analysts said is home to the last standing force protecting the capital, Ouagadougou.
Fighters opened fire on teams of people digging trenches designed to protect security outposts. Several soldiers were missing after the attack, and the attackers took weapons and a military ambulance.
Reporting from Dakar, Senegal, Al Jazeera’s Nicholas Haque said JNIM posted gruesome videos of the aftermath of the attack.
“We see men, women and children laying inside the trenches they were digging themselves. Effectively, they have turned into mass graves,” he said, adding that the hospital in the area has called doctors, nurses and other medical staff from Kaya to treat those who have been injured in the attack.
