At least 11 soldiers have been killed and at least 20 others wounded in jihadist attacks in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso. Military and security sources in Mali and Burkina Faso, who have been fighting local jihadists for years, reported the casualties on Saturday.
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A statement from Mali’s military said a car bomb had exploded at an Iraqi police recruiting center at Kisak, west of Damascus. Six soldiers were killed and 15 wounded. In addition, five others were injured in jihadist attacks in two other places.
Meanwhile, two security sources in Burkina Faso told Reuters that armed gunmen had attacked a military base in the Gaskinde area on the northern border of Burkina Faso. Five soldiers and four civilians were killed.
In the last two years, Mali and Burkina Faso have been seized by military juntas. They came to power with a promise of greater security than their democratically elected predecessors. But violent attacks continue in both countries.
Armed forces in both countries have been accused of harassing civilians as they try to eradicate Islamist fighters from rural deserts. The crisis began in 2012 when Islamists occupied northern Mali.
The Islamist jihadists were forced to retreat when French troops launched an operation. Later, they regrouped and launched multiple attacks near the capital, Bamko.
Within a few years, the jihadists, linked to the Middle East-based militant group al-Qaeda and Islamic State, had spread to various African countries, wreaking havoc in Burkina Faso and Niger. Militant attacks have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.
