Five troops were killed and four were wounded in an attack late Tuesday near the village of Guindbila, in the lawless northern region of Barsalogho, an official added.

A soldier died in a separate ambush in Sidogo, also in Barsalogho, another source said.

Search operations have been stepped up in the region, which have experienced a "sharp rise" in attacks in recent weeks, the source said.

Burkina Faso, an impoverished West African state has been battling an insurgency since 2015, when jihadists began to carry out cross-border raids from neighbouring Mali.

At least 600 people have died, according to an AFP toll.

Last weekend, nine civilians and five members of the security forces soldiers died in three attacks in the north.

The government has imposed a curfew in several northern provinces and restricted use of motorbikes, a form of transport frequently used by the jihadists.