At least 11 soldiers were killed after a group of unidentified gunmen attacked a military detachment in center-north Burkina Faso Wednesday, a security source told Xinhua.

“Unidentified gunmen attacked military detachment near the village of Hallale. At least 11 soldiers lost their lives in the attack.” the source said, adding some soldiers were reportedly missing.

The defense and security forces managed to kill five gunmen in an exchange of gunfire, local media reported.

The attack came one day after 35 civilians and seven soldiers in the northern province of Soum were killed and 80 terrorists neutralized in two separate attacks Tuesday.

The troubled West African country is faced with a worsening security situation in northern regions as frequent militant attacks have sparked a wave of panic in the country.

Over the last few weeks, the Burkina Faso army has scaled up military air and ground offensives against the escalating terrorist attacks across the country.

Since 2015, terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of over 700 people, including 200 of armed forces soldiers, and displaced thousands of others in the country.