17 jihadists, five defence volunteers killed in Burkina Faso attacks

Seventeen suspectedjihadistsandfivemembers of a civildefencemilitia have beenkilledin an attack in northernBurkinaFaso, security and government sources told AFP Thursday.

"Armed men arriving on about 20 motorbikes attacked the VDP camp in Bilakoka," located inBurkina's northern region of Sahel bordering Mali and Niger, on Wednesday, a government official told AFP.

"Thevolunteersrepelled the attack, neutralising17terrorists.FiveVDP members also lost their lives during the attack."

A security source confirmed the toll and said the armed forces were carrying out a "sweep" and securing the area.

BurkinaFaso, a landlocked and arid Sahel nation, has been battlingattackssince 2015 from forces that include the Group to Support Islam and Muslims, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).

Raids and ambushes have been concentrated in the north and east close to the borders with Mali and Niger, both of which have also faced deadly violence byjihadists.

More than 1,500 people InBurkinahave died and more than 1.3 million have fled their homes, in a population of around 20 million.

In December 2019, the government set up the VDP -- the French initials forVolunteersfor theDefenceof the Motherland -- to provide support for the beleaguered armed forces.

Civilianvolunteersare given 14 days' military training and then do auxiliary work such as surveillance and information gathering.

But the toll among this force has been very high. Around 250 have beenkilled, according to an AFP tally.

On Tuesday, two people, one of them a VDP member, werekilledin Gayeri in the eastern province of Komondjari, near the border with Niger.