At least 15 soldiers and volunteer militiamen were killed in the latest ambush by Islamist militants in the eastern province of Burkina Faso, the country's security forces said on Sunday.

Four soldiers were wounded and 11 have also gone missing after the attack by the jihadis on Saturday. According to the army, search operations are underway and reinforcements have been sent.

"Reinforcements have been deployed to secure the zone and carry out a search," a source told AFP news agency.

The Burkinabe soldiers and state-recognized citizen militia, Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), were attacked by the militants while they were returning from a supply mission.

Burkina Faso faces security crisis

Since 2015, the country has been grappling with insurgency. There are active armed groups with some linked to the terrorist network groups of al-Qaeda and the so-called "Islamic State" (IS).

Just days before Saturday's attack, Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), which is linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for attacking a military base in Djibo, a northern town which has been blocked by militants for three months.

Last month, amid increasing violence, the military led a second coup this year to overthrow the government.

Saturday's attack by the militants also comes just days after a new government was inaugurated in Burkina Faso following the latest coup. 

Captain Ibrahim Traore, the new president, ousted military leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, accusing him of inadequate action against terrorism.

mf/wd (Reuters, AFP, dpa)