- Title: Ivory Coast remembers soldiers killed by jihadists
- Date: 2nd July 2020
- Summary: VARIOUS OF KILLED SOLDIERS' FAMILY MEMBERS CRYING FAMILIES SITTING DURING CEREMONY (SOUNDBITE ) (French) MOTHER OF OF ONE OF THE KILLED SOLDIERS, SABINE BEUGRE, SAYING: "We are speechless, it's hard, it's really hard to die so tragically. If he would have been injured and then died, we could have seen him, spoken to him and enjoy the last moments with him. But to die so tragically, we are speechless, we don't have the strength to speak about it." SOLDIERS HOLDING MEDALS OF HONOUR FOR THE DEAD SOLDIERS STANDING GUARD COFFINS LINED UP IVORY COAST PRESIDENT, ALASSANE OUATTARA, AND OTHER OFFICIALS BOWING IN FRONT OF COFFINS
- Embargoed: 16th July 2020 17:21
- Keywords: attack jihadists memorial security soldiers killed
- Location: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- City: ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST
- Country: Ivory Coast
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Insurgencies
- Reuters ID: LVA003CL4BFPJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Ivory Coast on Thursday (July 2) paid tribute to the 14 soldiers killed in an ambush near its border with Burkina Faso last month.
The ambush on the night of June 10 on a military outpost in Kafolo was the deadliest since gunmen from al Qaeda's North African branch stormed the beach resort of Grand Bassam in March 2016, killing 19 people.
On June 22, Ivorian authorities said they arrested the suspected head of a jihadist group and several other militants believed to have carried out the attack.
President, Alassane Ouattara attended the ceremony where he was seen bowing in front of the coffins and speaking to family members of the fallen soldiers.
In May, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso launched a joint military operation called Operation Comoe to tackle the expanding threat from Islamist jihadists linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State in the Sahel region.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have been worst hit by the militant violence, but there are concerns that the attacks could spread to coastal nations.
International and regional powers agreed at talks on Tuesday (June 30) to intensify a military campaign against Islamist militants in the West African Sahel region, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying victory over the jihadists was within grasp.
(Production: Christophe Van Der Perre, Paul Warren, Vanessa Romeo) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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