Six soldiers were killed and several reported missing Tuesday in a blast followed by gunfire in eastern Burkina Faso, security sources said. The attack came on the heels of a weekend massacre which claimed up to 50 lives in a country wracked by jihadist violence.

"A military patrol struck an improvised explosive device while on the road from Madjoari to Pama" in Kompienga province, a security source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Six soldiers lost their lives during the attack," the source said. The assailants fired on the soldiers after the explosion.