Togo Army Says Gunmen Kill 'several' In Attack On North

Togo's army on Saturday said several people were killed and others wounded when gunmen attacked villages in the country's far north, where a jihadist insurgency is spilling over the border from Burkina Faso

Lome, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jul, 2022 ) :Togo's army on Saturday said several people were killed and others wounded when gunmen attacked villages in the country's far north, where a jihadist insurgency is spilling over the border from Burkina Faso.

Togo's government had already reported the attack between Thursday night and Friday in Kpendjal and Kpendjal-Ouest regions but had not given details on casualties.

The army said gunmen carried out "coordinated and complex" raids on several villages in the area.

"This attack caused several deaths and a few injuries who were quickly taken care of by the first elements of the Togolese Armed Forces who arrived," the army said in a statement.

Togolese media reports had said 10 to 15 people died.

It was the fourth attack in Togo since last year as the West African country and other coastal states Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast face a growing threat from jihadists in the Sahel north of their borders.

Togo has declared a state of emergency in its far northern provinces to allow security forces more flexibility to operate.

Eight Togolese soldiers were killed in May in an assault claimed by a Mali-based alliance of Al-Qaeda affiliated jihadists.

Gunmen also clashed with Togo troops outside a military post in Goulingoushi area in Togo's far northwest in June, before they were forced back across the border.