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A soldier stands on an armed vehicle in Burkina Faso (archive image)
Photo: Michele Cattani / AFP
At least 47 people were killed in a terrorist attack in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
These are said to be civilians as well as security forces and supporters of a militia loyal to the government.
In addition, 16 terrorists were killed, as the state news agency Agence d'Information du Burkina (AIB) reported.
At least 19 other people were injured in the incident near the northern city of Arbinda, which is on the border with Mali.
Further details were not initially given in the report.
German soldiers are stationed in neighboring Mali
Burkina Faso is located in the Sahel - an area that stretches south of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.
Armed groups are active there, some of which have sworn allegiance to the "Islamic State" (IS) or Al-Qaeda.
Burkina Faso was spared attacks for a long time, but their number has increased significantly since 2015.
More than 1,400 people have been killed in the violence since then.
According to the United Nations, more than 1.2 million people are now on the run in their own country.
Around a thousand German soldiers are stationed in neighboring Mali.
The Bundeswehr has been participating in the UN mission "Minusma" for several years.
Its task is to monitor the implementation of a peace treaty negotiated between the various ethnic groups in the region.
At the end of June, a suicide bomber attacked the Bundeswehr, injuring several soldiers.
lau / dpa / AFP