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The GFAT lost one of its ACMAT Bastion armoured personnel carriers in the 16 December attack. Source: Etat-Major Général des Armées du Burkina Faso
The Burkinabe military has reinforced its presence on the border with Mali in the aftermath of an attack on one of its outposts on 16 December.
A Burkinabe officer told IHS Jane's that the attack involved more than 40 militants targeting a military position near the village of Nassoumbou, 20 km from the Malian border. The outpost was manned by troops from the Anti-Terrorist Forces Group (Groupement des Forces Anti-Terroristes: GFAT), a unit made up of both army and gendarmerie personnel that was created in 2012 to secure the northern border with Mali and prevent militant infiltration.
The militants were equipped with three pickup vehicles armed with 12.7 mm and 14.5 mm heavy machine guns as well as several motorbikes and RPG-7 rocket launchers, according to the Burkinabe officer. They simultaneously attacked the outpost's perimeter at several points and the intensity of the assault forced the GFAT troops to conduct a tactical withdrawal towards Nassoumbou until reinforcements arrived from the town of Djibo.
Burkinabe fatalities numbered 11 army soldiers and a gendarme, while a further six men were wounded and had to be evacuated. An ACMAT Bastion armoured personnel carrier (APC) was hit by an RPG-7 and was subsequently torched by the militants along with several other vehicles.
The Burkinabe officer said that while it is not possible to provide a precise assessment of the number of militant casualties, the testimony of local civilians who witnessed the aftermath of the attack, and tracks found at the site of the battle suggested they suffered several fatalities and casualties, all of which are believed to have been evacuated aboard the attacker's vehicles.
Additional troops from the GFAT and other units have been deployed to Nassoumbou and its surroundings following the attack, the Bukinabe officer said.
IHS Jane's has also been told that the Burkinabe Air Force has sent additional aircraft to support the Diamond DA42 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft that is already based at the Dori airstrip in the north of the country in support of border security and counter-terrorism operations.
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http://www.janes.com/article/66697/burkina-faso-strengthens-military-deployment-in-north
