Death toll from Burkina Faso attack rises to 53

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso: The death toll from a weekend attack by suspected jihadists on a gendarmerie in northern Burkina Faso has risen to 53, the government said on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). The attack was one of the deadliest to hit the West African country’s defense and security forces since jihadist violence erupted six years ago. Gunmen travelling on pick-up trucks and motorcycles attacked the Inata gendarmerie near the Malian border before dawn on Sunday, leading to drawn-out clashes, a security source on the same day said. Burkina Faso has been hit by jihadist attacks since 2015, mostly in the northern and eastern regions close to Mali and Niger — countries facing their own struggles against jihadists.