DAKAR, Senegal

Unidentified gunmen killed 42 members of Burkina Faso’s security forces in an attack Sunday in the northern part of the country.

A volunteer militia headquarters in Yatenga district was targeted, the army said in a statement.

Ten soldiers and 32 volunteer militia members lost their lives in the clash.

A total of 33 people were injured and at least 50 terrorists were neutralized.

Burkina Faso remains plagued by insecurity, largely due to an insurgency that has spilled over from neighboring Mali.

Last week, at least 44 civilians were killed in two separate terrorist attacks in northern Burkina Faso's Sahel region.

Burkina Faso's military junta has adopted a decree that would allow the state to use “all necessary means” and a “general mobilization” to combat the insurgency.

Capt. Ibrahim Traore, the transition military leader, has set a target of recapturing 40% of the country's territory controlled by insurgents.​​​​​​​

The West African country recorded 1,135 deaths attributed to terrorists in 2022, a 50% increase compared to 2021, according to the 2023 Global Terrorism Index.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar