An attack on a mosque in eastern Burkina Faso killed dozens of Muslims on the same day as another deadly attack on Catholics attending mass, local and security sources have told the AFP news agency.
“Armed individuals attacked a mosque in Natiaboani on Sunday around 5am, resulting in several dozen being killed,” a security source told the AFP on Monday.
“The victims were all Muslims, most of them men” who had come for morning prayers, a local resident said by telephone.
Another local source said, “The terrorists entered the town early morning. They surrounded the mosque and shot at the faithful, who were gathered there for the first prayer of the day. Several of them were shot, including an important religious leader.”
Soldiers and members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), a civilian force that supports the military, were also targeted “by these hordes who came in large numbers”, the source said.
The source described it as a “large-scale attack” in terms of the number of assailants, who also wreaked substantial damage. The authorities are yet to comment on the attack.
Credit: aljazeera.com
