The Ouahigouya ambush took place near Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso, between February 7 and 8, 2022. French forces launched an airstrike on Ansar ul Islam militants responsible for the November Inata attack that killed dozens of Burkinabe police officers.
| Ouahigouya ambush | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ansarul Islam | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 10 killed | ||||||
| 4 civilians killed | |||||||
Prelude
editIn 2021, Ansar ul Islam, a jihadist militant group active in northern Burkina Faso with ties to the Islamic State, attacked a police outpost in Inata, killing nearly 50 officers and four civilians. The attack, which was the deadliest of the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso at that point, was a key reason for the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état.[1] Following the attack, France's Operation Barkhane, which combatted jihadists in Burkina Faso, launched raids against suspected perpetrators of the Inata attack.[2]
Battle
editThe battle began on February 7, when French forces launched airstrikes on Ansarul Islam positions near the town of Ouahigouya.[3] A group of French commandos then attacked an encampment where many jihadists were located, and opened fire on it.[4] In the attack, ten jihadists were killed, and four civilians hiding in the camp were killed in the crossfire.[5] The French government also stated that the ten jihadists killed were involved in carrying out the November Inata attack.[4]
Aftermath
editFollowing the ambush, Burkinabe junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba visited Ouahigouya on a surprise visit on February 15.[6] Later, on February 20, Damiba announced the expulsion of Barkhane troops from Burkina Faso, stating that they were looking for other partners to combat the insurgency.[7] The Ouahigouya ambush was one of the last French operations of Operation Barkhane in Burkina Faso.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Analysis | Burkina Faso's coup makers capitalized on wider grievances within the ranks". Washington Post. 2022-01-28. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Flament, Elham Kazemi, Ladd Serwat, Susanna Deetlefs, Maria-Claudia (2022-02-17). "Regional Overview: Africa | 5–11 February 2022". ACLED. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ AFP, Staff Writer With (2022-02-11). "French Troops Kill 10 Jihadists Linked to Burkina Attack: French Military". The Defense Post. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ a b "Burkina Faso: Barkhane annonce la neutralisation de 10 terroristes présumés dans le Nord". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ "Four civilians killed as French troops clash with Islamist militants in Burkina Faso". Reuters. 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ "Damiba au front pour galvaniser les militaires burkinabè contre les jihadistes". VOA (in French). 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Wars, Atlas of (2023-02-13). "Operation Barkhane is over: France has left Burkina Faso". Atlas of wars. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Doxsee, Catrina; Thompson, Jared; Harris, Marielle (2022-03-02). "The End of Operation Barkhane and the Future of Counterterrorism in Mali".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)