According to military reports, soldiers killed at least 70 armed attackers in a battle in the north of the West African Sahel state of Burkina Faso. Three gendarmes were injured in the battle that occurred near the city of Tasmakatt. Numerous weapons and motorcycles were also confiscated, an unnamed military spokesman said today.
In the north, Burkina Faso borders on Mali and Niger. The vast region is an area of action for Islamist extremists who regularly attack the civilian population. According to the UN, the country is one of the poorest in the world.
