Burkina Faso: 4 die in operation against suspected jihadists in capital

OUAGADOUGOU, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Three suspected terrorists were shot dead and a policeman killed on Tuesday in a security operation in a popular district of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, the gendarmerie in a statement.

Five others, including four gendarmes, were injured in the operation, the statement said.

Witnesses said gunfire was heard early Tuesday in Rayongo, a neighborhood in Ouagadougou's popular district 11, where security and defense forces surrounded a villa that houses suspected terrorists.

Weapons and ammunition, such as AK-47 rifles, automatic pistols, a machine gun, a grenade, and cell phones, phone chips and a notebook with Arabic writing were seized in the operation, the statement said.

Burkina Faso has experienced several terrorist attacks in recent years. In 2016 and 2017, Ouagadougou suffered two attacks on popular restaurants that resulted in the death of 47 civilians and a member of the security forces.

On March 2 this year, militantss attacked the French embassy and the headquarters of the national army in Ouagadougou, killing eight members of the security forces. Enditem