Al-Qaeda Branch Says It Killed 300 Fighters, Not Civilians, in Burkina Faso Attack

An al-Qaeda-linked group said it killed nearly 300 people in Saturday’s devastating attack in north-central Burkina Faso, but said it targeted militia members linked to the army, not civilians, the U.S. consultancy Site Intelligence Group reported. The attack outside the town of Barsalogho was one of the deadliest in nearly a decade of Islamist violence in the West African country. A group of victims’ relatives said at least 400 were killed when jihadists opened fire on civilians digging defensive trenches on orders of the military. Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin said soldiers and militia members were excavating the trenches when it attacked....