Thirty-five civilians, most of them women, have been killed in a attack by jihadists in a town in northern Burkina Faso, the West African nation’s president announced late Tuesday. Subsequent clashes with security forces also left 80 jihadists dead, and seven members of the security forces were killed, he said. The attack—for which there was no immediate claim of responsibility—took place in the Arbinda town in the Sahel region and lasted for several hours, according to a military statement. “The heroic action of our soldiers has made it possible to neutralize 80 terrorists,” said President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, adding, “This barbaric attack resulted in the death of 35 civilians, most of them women.” Islamic extremist groups are known to operate in Burkina Faso, and frequent attacks in north and east Burkina Faso have displaced more than a half million people, according to the United Nations.