Battle of Tin-Akoff
| Battle of Tin-Akoff | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Burkina Faso |
 Islamic State - Sahil Province | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
15-100 killed 30 wounded | Unknown | ||||||
On February 20, 2023, jihadists from the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISGS) ambushed Burkinabe soldiers in Tin-Akoff, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso. Between 15 and 100 Burkinabe soldiers were killed. The attack came just three days after the Tin-Ediar attack, where over seventy Burkinabe soldiers were killed in an ISGS attack.
Background
[edit]Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been embroiled in an insurgency by the Mali-based Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, the Niger-based Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and the homegrown Burkinabe Ansarul Islam. These insurgent groups began besieging government-controlled towns starting with Arbinda in 2019, and by early 2022 dozens of towns, including provincial capitals, were under siege by JNIM and Ansarul Islam.[1] Sieges became the modus operandi of these groups beginning in 2022, and jihadists often attacked civilians fleeing the areas while also preventing supplies and food from going in and out.[1] In 2021, northern Burkinabe towns such as Inata were overrun by jihadists after months-long sieges.[2]
ISGS has a heavy presence in Oudalan Province, where Tin-Akoff is located, and often ambushes Burkinabe soldiers traveling between bases in the province.[2] Three days prior to the attack, ISGS attacked Burkinabe soldiers in Tin-Ediar, killing over seventy soldiers with Burkinabe officials claiming 160 jihadists were killed as well.[3]
Battle
[edit]The ISGS fighters in the Tin-Akoff attack had entered the town coming from Mali. The attack began on February 20 against a garrison of Burkinabe soldiers in the town.[4] Heavy clashes broke out between the two groups, with the Burkinabe air force intervening and carrying out several airstrikes against the town.[4] The Burkinabe soldiers fled, retreating to Markoye.[5] The Islamic State stated that the battle lasted for only forty minutes.[3]
Security sources told AFP that between 15 and 19 soldiers were killed in the battle, excluding the several dozen missing.[6][7] RFI reported 30 wounded.[4] Libération reported that the death toll could be as high as 100, citing security and humanitarian sources.[8] The ISGS claimed responsibility for the attack on March 18, and stated that several dozen soldiers were killed or wounded.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b ""Death was slowly creeping on us"" (PDF). Amnesty International. July 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Au Burkina Faso, l'armée en plein doute face aux attaques terroristes" (in French). 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b Faso), APA-Ouagadougou (Burkina (2023-03-17). "Burkina : l'attaque de Tin-Akoff revendiquée par l'Etat islamique". APAnews - Agence de Presse Africaine (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ a b c "Au Burkina Faso, nouvelle attaque meurtrière dans la région sahélienne". RFI (in French). 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ FRANCE 24 (2023-02-22). Burkina Faso : trois attaques jihadistes ont visé le nord du pays en une semaine • FRANCE 24. Retrieved 2024-10-14 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Au moins une quinzaine de soldats tués dans une nouvelle attaque au Burkina". www.20minutes.fr (in French). 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ "Burkina Faso : au moins 70 soldats tués en quatre jours dans deux attaques" (in French). 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ Faivre, Agnès. "Massacres de soldats au Burkina Faso, les jihadistes défient le pouvoir". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ "Attack on Military Base in Tin-Akoff, Burkina Faso". Jihadology. March 19, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2024.