Ivory Coast mourns soldiers killed in attack

The President of the Ivory Coast and grieving relatives gathered on Thursday to mourn soldiers killed in a jihadist attack in the country's north.

A ceremony for the 14 soldiers killed was held in the West African nation's capital, Abidjan.

The attack shocked the country and was the first major jihadist attack in the country since 2016, when al-Qaida's North African branch killed at least 19 people at the Grand-Bassam beach resort area.

It targeted an army and gendarmerie post in Kafolo in Sikolo prefecture.

In May, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso launched joint operations along the border region.

Fighters affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have staged a growing number of attacks and gained more territory in the past year in Burkina Faso, displacing more than 750,000 people in that country's north.

There have been growing concerns over the possible presence of Islamic militants in Ivory Coast.