Attack on Military Headquarters Leaves 6 Dead in Ivory Coast

President Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast was toppled in a French military coup carried out against the West African state. Ivory Coast is the largest producer of cocoa in the world., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Attack on military headquarters leaves 6 dead in Ivory Coast

Sun Aug 26, 2012 5:49PM GMT
presstv.ir

At least one army soldier and five attackers have been killed in an attack on military headquarters in southern Ivory Coast, officials say.

The gun battle happened on Saturday near the town of Grand-Lahou, a coastal town about 140 kilometers west of the economic capital Abidjan.

"A checkpoint of the Republican Force (army) was attacked late morning at Irobo by men in a pick-up. A soldier was killed, another was injured and transferred to Abidjan. Five attackers were killed," AFP quoted a military source as saying.

Officials blamed the attack on supporters of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo who refused to concede the presidential election outcome in 2010.

Meanwhile, similar attacks on military bases and police stations have been reported earlier in the month.

Ivory Coast, which is the world's top cocoa producer, was engulfed in chaos after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat in the November 2010 presidential election and hung onto power until being driven out by supporters of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in April 2011.