A man holds a Burkina's flag during a gathering to show support to the military in Ouagadougou on Feb 19, 2022. (OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

OUAGADOUGOU - Unidentified armed attackers killed at least 11 Burkinabe soldiers and wounded eight more in Burkina Faso's Est region on Sunday, four sources in the state military told Reuters.

The region is among those hit by rising insecurity as jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State seek to gain control over once peaceful territories in West Africa's Central Sahel region.

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The sources did not share further details on the latest attack and there was no immediate comment from the government.

The ruling military junta seized power in a January coup against President Roch Kabore, blaming him for failing to contain surging violence by Islamist militants that has killed thousands of people and forced more than 2 million to flee their homes in the Sahel.