Attack on Burkina Faso defence outpost kills at least 20

The government condemned the ‘cowardly and barbaric attack’ in which 19 Linga and one civilian were killed.

Gunmen have killed at least 19 lingers and one civilian in northern Burkina Faso, a triangular border region where the country has been battling armed groups for years.

Security Minister Maxim Kon told state media on Sunday that the death toll in an attack on a military police post near a gold mine in Inata was provisional.

“This morning a detachment of the gendarmerie faced a cowardly and barbaric attack. They took their positions,” Con said, finding 22 survivors.

It was feared that the death toll could rise.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, one of the deadliest against defense and security forces since Burkina Faso was hit by conflict in 2015.

It comes two days after another attack in which seven police officers were killed in areas near Niger and Mali.

Attacks by armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) have intensified in the triangular border region, despite the presence of thousands of UN, regional and Western troops and efforts by some governments to negotiate with fighters.