Extremists kill 33 soldiers in latest Burkina Faso attack

By ARSENE KABORE
Associated Press

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Burkina Faso’s army says Islamic extremists killed 33 soldiers during an attack on the military in the country’s east. The army says the attack took place Thursday in the Gourma province town of Ouagarou and that 40 jihadis also were killed. Fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have waged a violent insurgency in Burkina Faso for seven years. The violence has killed thousands of people and displaced around 2 million. It also has divided a once peaceful nation and fueled frustration that led to two coups last year. Some civilians have accused Burkina Faso’s security forces of extrajudicial killings and the disappearance of untold numbers of others accused of supporting the militants.