| 2018 Inata attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Burkina Faso  France |  Ansarul Islam | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 40 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed 1 injured | 7+ killed | ||||||
The 2018 Inata attack occurred between October 3 and 4, 2018, when suspected militants from Ansarul Islam attacked the gold mines near Inata, Burkina Faso, but were repulsed by Burkinabe forces.
Since 2017, Islamist militant groups such as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and the homegrown Ansarul Islam have been active in northern Burkina Faso's Soum Province, on the Malian and Nigerien borders. The town of Inata is known for its productive gold mines, and is located in Soum. [1] On September 23, three foreign nationals were kidnapped by militants at the mines. [2]
Militants attacked an outpost of the Burkinabe gendarmerie in Inata at 8:50 p.m, close to the mines. [3] Around forty men participated in the attack, riding on six motorcycles and two pickups. Burkinabe soldiers stated that the militants were heavily armed. [3] [4] The attackers destroyed several vehicles at the gold mine, and raided the dormitories of civilian miners and staff. [5]
Burkinabe authorities alerted French airplanes of Operation Barkhane and asked them to intervene. French officials then directed a MQ-9 drone to the area along with two Mirage 2000 planes and a C135 fueling plane that took off from Niamey. [3] [6] The drone spotted a column of several motorcycles headed north from Inata towards the Malian border, and carried out an airstrike against them that night. [3]
The Burkinabe Ministry of Defense stated that one soldier was killed and one was injured in the attack, and ten militants had been killed or injured. [7] On October 5, the Burkinabe Chief of Staff clarified that seven militants were killed, and that aerial reconnaissance reported that at least seven bodies were at the site of the airstrike. [2]
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, although Ansarul Islam was suspected due to being active in the area of Inata. [8] [2]
On 16 December 2016, jihadists from Ansarul Islam and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked a Burkinabe army outpost in Nassoumbou, Soum Province, Burkina Faso, killing twelve soldiers. The attack was the first claimed by Ansarul Islam, Burkina Faso's first homegrown jihadist movement that formed a month prior.
Ba Ag Moussa was a Malian militant and jihadist.
An ongoing war and civil conflict between the Government of Burkina Faso and Islamist rebels began in August 2015 and has led to the displacement of over 2 million people and the deaths of at least 10,000 civilians and combatants.
An Islamist insurgency has been ongoing in the Sahel region of West Africa since the 2011 Arab Spring. In particular, the intensive conflict in the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has been referred to as the Sahel War.
On the night between December 31, 2018, and January 1, 2019, alleged Ansarul Islam jihadists attacked the village of Yirgou, in Barsalogho Department, Burkina Faso. While initial reports claimed the attack killed six people, including the village chief and his son, later reports and investigations showed up to 210 people were killed.
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.
The battle of Boulikessi took place between September 30 and October 1, 2019. Jihadists from JNIM and Ansarul Islam attacked Malian bases in Boulikessi and Mondoro, killing between 40 and 85 Malian soldiers, making it the deadliest attack for the Malian army since the Second Battle of Kidal in 2014.
Operation Tiésaba-Bourgou was a joint Franco-Malian operation against Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and Ansarul Islam near the Malian, Burkinabe, and Nigerien borders.
Between April 29 and 30, 2017, French forces launched an offensive against jihadists from Ansarul Islam and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin based in the Foulsaré forest in southern Mali. The operation was dubbed Operation Bayard by the French.
Boureima Dicko, nom de guerre Ibrahim Malam Dicko, was a Burkinabe jihadist and the founder of Ansarul Islam.
On March 5, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in Boulikessi. The attack was the first by JNIM since its inception that month.
On January 11, 2023, unknown jihadists killed nine civilians at a mosque in Goulgountou, Burkina Faso.
On January 28, 2023, suspected Islamic State jihadists attacked Burkinabe soldiers and Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) militiamen in the city of Falagountou, Burkina Faso.
Between December 10 and 11, 2014, French forces ambushed militants from al-Mourabitoun near Tabankort, Gao Region, Mali. The ambush led to the death of Ahmed al-Tilemsi, the founder of MOJWA and a key figure in al-Mourabitoun.
Amadou Boucary, nom de guerre Djaffar Dicko and Yéro, is a Burkinabe jihadist who has served as the leader of Ansarul Islam since 2017.
On May 14, 2019, jihadists from Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked Nigerien forces in Baley Beri, Niger, killing twenty-seven Nigerien soldiers.
On October 12, 2016, jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked Burkinabe troops at Intangom, Tin-Akoff Department, Burkina Faso, killing four soldiers,
On November 9, 2017, clashes broke out between Burkinabe forces and Ansarul Islam in the hills between Kereboule and Ariel, Soum Province, Burkina Faso. It was the first major victory against jihadists by the Burkinabe government since the start of the jihadist insurgency in the country.
On December 27, 2018, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin attacked Burkinabe soldiers in Loroni, northern Burkina Faso, killing ten soldiers. The attack was the deadliest incident for Burkinabe forces since the Nassoumbou attack in 2016.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)