Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: In a significant counterterrorism operation, the combatant forces of Burkina Faso carried out a series of air and land offensives in the province of Koulpelogo, Central-East region, resulting in the neutralization of approximately sixty terrorists, including about ten key leaders.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the provisional outcomes of the operation are substantial, with around sixty criminals eliminated. This group includes about ten terrorist leaders who were actively sought by intelligence services. Notable figures among those neutralized are Nourdine, Diao Djibo, Bandé Issa Hassane, Abou Hourera, Zoulhaidaini, and Abdoul Galiki. These individuals were key executives from Abdoul Bachirou’s base, operating in the Nouhao forest. Diao Boukari, also known as Abdoul Djalil, a terrorist executive at the Niangdin base, was among those killed by the Burkinabè forces.

Following the November 19, 2023, attack on a Volontaires pour la Défense de la Patrie (VDP) position in Kogloré (near Ouargaye) by terrorists linked to the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the Burkinabè army initiated these offensives. The operation involved several days of intensive land and air assaults, leading to substantial results.

Abou Hourera, 27, was particularly notable for leading several attacks against VDP positions in various locations, including Bané, Oumnoghin, Ouargaye, Yargatenga, and near Sablogo on the RN17 highway. He was also involved in village eviction operations in the communes of Bittou, Bané, Lalgaye, Ouargaye, Sangha, and Yargatenga.

AIB interlocutors report that the Fighting Forces of Burkina Faso continue to exert pressure on criminal elements across all force groupings, maintaining their proactive stance against terrorism in the region.