Burkina Faso’s Army on Wednesday admitted it had accidentally caused civilians causalities during a counter-terrorist operation in the country’s southeast region earlier this week. The Army did not say how many had been killed.
Residents of the area told London-based news agency Reuters, that as many as 37 people were killed in the strike on Monday near the village of Pognoa, about 10 km (6 miles) from the border with Togo, where some fled afterwards.
Reuters reported that the West African country has been battling an insurgency by Islamist militant groups, some linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State, which control large swathes of territory and wage frequent attacks.
“During operations which made it possible to neutralize several dozen terrorists, the strikes unfortunately caused collateral victims within the civilian population,” an Army statement said.
The Army said that the victims were hit by projectiles in the zone between Kompienga and Pognoa, but did not specify how may were killed.
One man from Pognoa claimed that 37 people were dead following the strike. A woman from the same town said about 30 people were killed, including women and children. Both the people requested that they be quoted anonymously as they feared repercussions.
Nine people with injuries were admitted to the regional hospital in Dapaong, Togo, after the incident, a medical source said. “According to the victims and those accompanying them, it was drone strikes. Some spoke of two strikes and others three,” said the medical source, who also requested anonymity.
