Al-Qaeda-linked “ jihadist group “Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wa Muslimin“ claimed responsibility for an attack on June 11 in Burkina Faso in which more than 100 soldiers of the ruling junta were killed, Reuters reported, citing BTA, citing the “SITE Intelligence Group” (SITE Intelligence Group).
A spokesman for Burkina Faso's ruling junta did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on an attack in the area.
SITE quoted a statement from the group as saying that five days ago “militants stormed a military post in the city, where they killed 107 soldiers and took control of the site".
Several videos shared online by the rebels show heavy gunfire around the military base. Another video shows the display of dozens of weapons and ammunition, as well as at least seven soldiers captured by the jihadists, according to Reuters.
Reuters notes that it has not been able to verify the authenticity of the videos.
For more than a decade, jihadists have killed thousands and displaced more than two million people in Burkina Faso. The fighting and insecurity also threaten the region's stability, as jihadists who control large swathes of territory in Burkina Faso and Mali use them as bases for attacks on other countries.