2 Burkinabe soldiers killed while looking for 4 missing police officers- gov't

Two Burkinabe soldiers were killed while looking for four missing policemen, following a deadly jihadist ambush, the government said Wednesday.

According to the government of Burkina Faso, a member of a civilian militia helping the army fight jihadists had been killed in an attack Monday in the Nord region.

About 10 other militia members were still missing on Wednesday, the government

"The most important information is that the interrogation of these two people indicates that the group that carried out the attack is called Moujae Alquaida, a group affiliated with GSIM(Group to Support Islam and Muslims)", said Government spokesperson, Ousséni Tamboura.

Ousséni Ouedraogo is the Minister in charge of Security.

"Every army, the strongest, the best equipped, the fighting technique that everyone fears is the ambush. Why the ambush? The ambush because it is the enemy who takes the initiative. It is violent, fast and devastating. And if you notice in our casualties it is always in ambushes and it is always in mine explosions", Ouedraogo said.

The West African nation has been grappling with a jihadist insurgency that has left at least 1,400 dead since 2015.

An estimated one million people have been forced to flee their homes.

In recent years, the Sahel country has seen increasingly brutal attacks by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.

Earlier this month, the northern village of Solhan was hit by the deadliest jihadist attack since the start of the insurgency. At least 132 people were killed. But local sources have put the death toll at 160.

On Wednesday, Government spokesman Ousséni Tamboura attributed the Solhan attack to the Mujahi-al Qaida, a group affiliated to Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims.