More than 50 security forces killed by jihadis in Burkina Faso, as violence inches closer to capital

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Burkina Faso’s military says that more than 50 security forces were killed during intense fighting with jihadis in the north of the country. The army says that 17 soldiers and three dozen volunteer fighters, who assist the military, were killed in Koumbri commune in Yatenga province on Monday. It says several dozen of the Islamic militants also were killed, as part of an operation to try push back the jihadis from Koumbri so that displaced people could return. The West African nation has been ravaged by growing jihadi attacks linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that have killed thousands and displaced more than 2 million people.