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Burkina Faso's army frees over 300 hostages used as human shields by militants

The liberated captives have already been transported to the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, where they are receiving medical, psychological, and social assistance

RABAT, March 17. /TASS/. Burkina Faso's military freed 305 people who were previously held captive by terrorists in the western part of the country, Maghreb Arabe Press news agency reported.

The release of captives came after the army launched a successful offensive against the positions of armed militants in the Boucle du Mouhoun region of Burkina Faso. The hostages were kept in a forested area and the terrorists used them as human shields, the news agency specified.

The freed captives have already been transported to the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, where they are receiving medical, psychological, and social assistance. Government representatives visited the rescued individuals.

Burkina Faso has been the center of terrorist activity in West Africa since 2015. Several international extremist groups are operating in the country, including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (the Islamic State terrorist organization is outlawed in Russia) and Ansar al-Islam. Non-governmental organizations estimate that more than 20,000 civilians and security officers have been killed by militants since 2015. About two million people have been forced to flee their homes.

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