Eleven police officers were killed and four were missing after an ambush at their unit in northern Burkina Faso late Monday, the country’s security minister said on Tuesday.
The ambush occurred while the unit was on a mission in the city of Girgo, which was hit by the recent violence, Security Minister Usheini Compaore said in a statement.
“Joint search operations for the missing have been ongoing with the army since yesterday,” he said.
Attacks by fighters linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State are on the rise across the Sahel, killing hundreds and displacing millions across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
An estimated 1.2 million people have been displaced by violence in Burkina Faso. At least 132 people were killed by insurgents last month in the worst attack to date.
