COTONOU, Benin — Militants inflicted heavy losses on Benin’s armed forces during an attack this week on a fortified military post in the north of the country, authorities said, raising further concerns from analysts about the expansion of jihadis into West Africa’s coastal states.

Militants inflicted heavy losses on Benin's armed forces in a recent attack, highlighting the growing threat of jihadi expansion in West Africa.

Benin forces have suffered heavy losses in an attack near the border with insurgency-hit Niger and Burkina Faso, authorities have said. Colonel Faizou Gomina, the national guard's chief of staff, said one of Benin's most well-equipped military positions had been hit in the north on Wednesday evening.