14 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –
At least nine people have been killed by an armed attack on a mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in northern Burkina Faso, the organization confirmed in a statement.
The attack was carried out by at least eight armed men who burst into a Mehdi Ahmad mosque, in the town of Dori. The shooting occurred on Wednesday but the institution learned of it last Friday.
“The Ahmadiyya Muslims had gathered peacefully for their evening prayers when eight armed terrorists arrived on a motorbike, invaded the mosque and began threatening the worshipers,” the community explained.
According to his account of events, the deceased are eight of the most veteran faithful, including the imam, who was demanded to renounce his faith. When the priest refused, he was executed. The assailants repeated the same pattern with the rest of the deceased.
The mortal remains of those executed were buried the next day. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the killings.
Burkina Faso, particularly the north, has been facing increasing attacks since 2015 from jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, transitional president resulting from the military coup on September 30 – the second in eight months – has set himself the objective of “reconquering the territory occupied by these hordes of terrorists”.
