French Forces: 40 Militants Killed in Burkina Faso

The French army revealed, on Saturday, it killed 40 militants in Burkina Faso during a joint operation with Burkinabe armed forces.

The armed "terrorist group" was responsible for two attacks in neighboring Benin, according to a statement posted on Twitter.

The army said on Tuesday and Wednesday that an armed group operating in the area of the W National Park led attacks on members of Benin's armed forces. Nine people were killed, including five park rangers and a French national.

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Aerial intelligence was used to locate the group after the alarm was given, according to the military's statement.

On Thursday, a column of "terrorists" traveling on motorcycles was targeted by a drone as they crossed the border of Burkina Faso. Twelve were killed in that engagement.

Later on, warplanes carried out three strikes targeting more militants. "During this action, more than 30 terrorists were neutralized," the statement said.

In January, French armed forces reported that dozens of militants were killed in a number of engagements in northern Burkina Faso.