Attack in Burkina Faso Leaves 12 Soldiers Dead

Suspected Islamic extremists attacked an army barracks Friday in Burkina Faso, killing at least 12 soldiers, officials said.

The officials said about 40 unidentified gunmen stormed the army post in Nassoumbou, a town near the border with Mali. The assailants also set fire to military vehicles and tents, they said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore called the assailants “forces of evil.” He was to travel to Nigeria for a meeting on the crisis in Gambia but canceled his trip.

Attacks in Burkina Faso were relatively rare until this year, when al-Qaida-linked fighters attacked a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, in January, killing at least 29 people.

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