Gunmen attack elite security unit in Ivory Coast, steal weapons

Bullet casings are seen on the ground as policemen stand at the National Police Academy in the Cocody neighborhood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Luc Gnago

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Gunmen, some of them in uniform, attacked the base of an elite security unit in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan, killing an officer, stealing weapons and then fighting security forces in another part of the city, defence officials said on Thursday.

The raid, late on Wednesday, follows months of military mutinies. It came hours after the government rejigged top security posts, and two days before an event that will bring in thousands from around the French-speaking world to Ivory Coast.