"Several dozen" soldiers and civilian auxiliaries have been killed in a suspected militant attack in eastern Burkina Faso, local and security sources said on Sunday.
One security source in Tapoa province said an army detachment from the main city of Diapaga was targeted in a "violent attack" on Friday. The victims were regular army soldiers and civilian volunteers, while there were "many wounded", the source added.
A separate security source confirmed the attack, adding that "several terrorists were neutralised in the retaliation" and that the army had launched a sweep of the area.
According to a hospital source in the eastern city of Fada N'Gourma, "around 30 wounded, all from the security forces, were evacuated yesterday (Saturday)" to the hospital centre in the region.
Since 2015 Burkina Faso has been plagued by militant violence from groups linked to Daesh group or Al Qaeda.
The unrest has killed more than 26,000 people in that time, according to conflict monitor ACLED, while more than two million Burkinabe people have been displaced as a result.
Several people have been killed in insurgent attacks in Burkina Faso's restive east, local and security source have told AFP news agency.
