ABUJA, Nigeria -- At least 100 villagers and soldiers were killed in central Burkina Faso during a weekend attack on a village by al-Qaida-linked jihadis, according to videos of the violence analyzed by a regional specialist, who's described the assault as one of the deadliest this year in the conflict-battered West African nation.

Residents of the Barsalogho commune, located 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the capital city, were assisting security personnel in digging defensive trenches to safeguard security outposts and villages on Saturday. During this operation, militants affiliated with the al-Qaida-linked JNIM group launched an assault on the area, opening fire on the villagers and soldiers, according to Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center security think tank.

Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday, stating in a statement that it had gained “total control over a militia position” in Barsalogho in Kaya. Kaya is a strategically important town where security forces have been deployed to combat jihadists who have attempted to advance towards the capital, Ouagadougou, over the years.

Videos of the attack show at least 100 bodies, according to Nasr. While the Associated Press could not independently verify this count, it reviewed footage appearing to be from the scene. The videos depict bodies lying beside trenches and shovels amidst gunfire.

Burkina Faso’s Minister of Security, Mahamadou Sana, announced in a state television broadcast on Sunday that the government responded to the attack with both ground and air support. The minister acknowledged casualties among both soldiers and civilians without specifying the exact number.

“We will not tolerate such brutality on our territory,” Sana said. He stated that the government has provided medical and humanitarian aid to all those affected and that authorities are dedicated to protecting lives.

Approximately half of Burkina Faso is outside government control as the country has been devastated by escalating jihadi attacks surrounding the capital. The jihadis, linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, have claimed the lives of thousands and displaced over 2 million people, creating one of the world’s most neglected humanitarian crises.

The violence triggered two coups in 2022. Despite promises by the military junta to end the attacks, they have struggled to do so, even after seeking new security partnerships with Russia and other junta-led, conflict-ridden countries in Africa’s Sahel region.

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore – who activists allege was conscripting critics into the army as a form of punishment – has also been urging civilians to assist the military in security operations. A civilian task force, Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), is already working closely with the military.

The trenches being dug in the Barsalogho commune are among several that authorities encouraged civilians to help create in areas the jihadis are seeking to control.

The jihadis are gaining ground due to insufficient aerial support and intelligence gathering by security forces. Their activities are also fueled by lax control in areas bordering Mali and Niger, both countries grappling with violent attacks, according to Nasr. Human rights abuses perpetrated by the country’s security forces and VDP have also driven more people to join the jihadis, he said.