Two Kuwaiti nationals were among 18 people who were killed in a terrorist attack in Burkina Faso.

Gunmen shot them dead at a popular Turkish restaurant frequented by foreigners in the centre of the capital, Ouagadougou, said Al Qabas newspaper.

The two victims were named as Dr Walid Al Ali, teacher at the College of Sharia, Kuwaiti University, and Kuwait Grand Mosque Khateeb and preacher Fahd Al Hussaini.

The Amir of Kuwait issued orders to dispatch an Amiri plane to repatriate their bodies from Burkina Faso, said Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Mohammed Al Jabri.

Dr Al Ali and Al Hussaini were having dinner at the Aziz Istanbul restaurant, a Turkish eatery close to Bravia Hotel where they were staying.

They had arrived in Burkina Faso to conduct a religious course as part of the activities of the Islamic Heritage Revival Society.

The National Assembly Speaker, MPs and other officials mourned the deaths on their twitter accounts, paying homage to the two citizens who were on a charity mission in the African country.

Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Alpha Barry said the Burkinabe authorities revealed that the victims included two Kuwaitis, and one each from Canada, France, Lebanon, Nigeria, Senegal and Turkey. However, Canada's foreign minister said two Canadians had died.

Seven Burkinabes were killed while three other victims were yet to be identified by the Burkinabe authorities.

The restaurant is located 100 metres away from Cappuccino Café, which was attacked in January 2016 and left 30 people dead, most of them foreigners.

(With inputs from Al Rai newspaper)