Eight militants killed in Ivorian-Burkina operation

Eight suspected militants were killed and another 38 captured in a joint operation by Burkinabe and Ivorian forces near the two countries' shared border, the Ivory Coast army said on Sunday.

The captured men — 24 in Burkina Faso and 14 in Ivory Coast — were handed over to intelligence services, a source at Ivorian army headquarters told the mdia.

A "terrorist base" was destroyed at Alidougou in Burkina Faso, the source added.

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Arms, ammunition, USB keys and cell phones were also seized during the operation, the source said.

Operation "Comoe", named after a river that flows through the two west African countries, was launched in early May, the source said, praising the "perfect coordination between the two armies".

This joint operation, presented on Saturday by the two armies' top commanders as the first of its kind, took place northeast of the Ivorian town of Ferkessedougou and south of Banfora in Burkina Faso.

On Saturday, a Burkinabe security source said the entire operation had been carried out in Ivory Coast.

Agence France-Presse