14 soldiers killed, 7 injured by terrorists in Burkina Faso

At least 14 soldiers were killed and seven injured by extremists at the Yirgou military barracks in Burkina Faso’s Sanmatenga province on Monday, the government said.

A large group of heavily armed militants killed 14 Burkina Faso soldiers and injured seven others in a dawn attack in the north on Monday, the government said in a statement.

The soldiers were targeted at 5 am by a large number of heavily armed men and showed “great combativeness,” Minister of Defense Aime Barthelemy Simpore said in a statement.

The government immediately launched an aerial and ground offensive, he said.

Locals near the attack said they were shocked, given there had been an increased military presence in the area recently.