The police in Burkina Faso killed 40 Islamist fighters, the army said on Sunday.

The terrorists ambushed a police reconnaissance mission in Koulpelogo province in the north-east of the country on Saturday, the military said.

Five police officers were also killed during the attack.

Armed groups have been active in the Sahel state and its neighbours Mali and Niger for years.

Some of the armed groups have sworn allegiance to the terrorist groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Thousands have died in the conflict with armed groups with millions of people displaced.

All three countries are led by military leaders who took power in military coups – the most recent of which was in Niger on July 26.

Burkina Faso, which has a population of around 21 million, is led by a military transitional government that promised the population after a coup in autumn to eradicate the jihadists – but so far without success. 

(dpa/NAN)