12 dead in Burkina Faso following terror attack in Kiè

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According to AFP, a terror attack in Western Burkina Faso, at the border of Mali, claimed the lives of at least 12 civilians.

The attack, which targeted the village of Kie, was carried out by a number of "unidentified armed individuals on Friday evening", a local official said.

A local resident said that the attackers came in "large numbers (and) surrounded the village", adding they had also set fire to a number of homes.

Similarly, earlier on Friday, around 40 people have been killed in a fresh wave of violence in Burkina Faso, in areas where militant attacks are rife, as per sources.

In the fresh attacks, around 20 people were killed in a series of raids on villages in Burkina Faso's troubled north, security sources, and residents said, as quoted by AFP.

Militants attacked three villages early Thursday in the country's northern Yatenga province.

"Yesterday at around 5:00 am (local and GMT), armed groups attacked the villages of Pelle, Zanna, and Nongfaire," a resident said on Friday, giving a toll of 25 people killed.

There were "many others wounded," the resident added.

Another resident said, "The assailants, who came on motorbikes, were chased by volunteers (civilian auxiliaries of the army) and soldiers".

The attack was affirmed by a security source, who put the death toll at "around 20", stressing that search operations are ongoing to find the assailants. 

The attackers "were hit by air support after taking refuge in the Barga forest," said another security source.

"Several of them died."

Read more: 33 farmers dead in terror attack in northwestern Burkina Faso