The first attack near the town of Solle on Thursday led to the deaths of two soldiers and four civilians helping the army while five paramilitary troops perished in another raid the same day at Ouanobe, the army said in a statement received Friday.

The ambushes were staged by "terrorists", according to the the army, using a term to signify jihadist groups active in Burkina Faso's north.

Nine people were wounded, it said, adding that the bodies of some 20 attackers had been found during clean-up operations.

Weapons, ammunition, transport and communication equipment were also found and had been either seized or destroyed.

Jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have regularly carried out attacks in northern and eastern Burkina Faso since 2015, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing almost two million.

Unrest linked to jihadist groups also plagues Burkina Faso's West African neighbours Mali and Niger.