The situation is "under control" at Frances embassy and cultural institute in Burkina Fasos capital, which came under attack Friday, a French foreign ministry source said. "The situation is under control at French diplomatic premises," the source said after the attack which also targeted the countrys military headquarters in Ouagadougou. Defense Minister Jean Claude Bouda told Reuters that three gunmen have been killed at the armys headquarters, A separate government statement said four gunmen had been "neutralized" at the French embassy, but there was no immediate word on civilian casualties. Witnesses told AFP that five armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading towards the embassy in the center of the city. An AFP reporter heard heavy exchanges of gunfire and saw a blazing vehicle, which witnesses said was the car used by the assailants. Police and army units were deployed in the area. Other witnesses said there was an explosion near the headquarters of the Burkinabe armed forces and the French cultural center, which are located about a kilometer from the site of the first attack. The French embassy, on Facebook, initially said "attack under way at the French embassy and French Institute. Stay indoors." It later said: "Uncertain at this stage which places are targeted" but maintained its advice for people to stay indoors. In Paris, President Emmanuel Macrons office said the French leader was "being informed in real time" of the situation. The Elysee statement urged French nationals to follow alerts from the embassy. It was not clear who was behind the violence but Burkina Faso and other West African countries have been targeted by militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS in the past few years. France, the former colonial power in the Sahel region, has deployed 4,000 troops and is supporting a five-country joint force gathering Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.