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Suspected Jihadist Attacks Kill 9 in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso's armed forces, pictured during training, have carried out security sweeps in an attempt to stem jihadist violence. Photo: Issouf Sanogo/AFP

Attacks by suspected jihadists have killed nine people, mostly civilians, in Burkina Faso’s troubled north, security sources said Wednesday.

Armed men late Tuesday raided the village of Tassiri in Gorom-Gorom municipality, a security source said.

“Seven people, all civilians, were killed,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

Earlier Tuesday, members of a patrol were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated as their vehicle passed through Ounobe, the source said.

A second security official confirmed both incidents.

The attacks came a day after an IED hit a military-led supply convoy in the north, killing at least 35 civilians including several children.

The head of Burkina Faso’s ruling junta, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, vowed his country would defeat armed groups following the deadly blast.

The landlocked African state is in the grip of a seven-year-old insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and forced nearly two million people to leave their homes.

After seizing power in January, Damiba declared the fight against the insurgency to be a top priority.

But bloody attacks have continued, and more than 40 percent of the country remains outside government control, according to official figures.

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