Attack on soldiers took place in town of Gajiganna in northeastern Borno state on Friday, group’s news agency claims.

ISIL fighters killed 11 Nigerian soldiers in an attack on the northeastern town of Gajiganna, the group has claimed through its news agency AMAQ.

The armed group said on Saturday the attack on the soldiers took place in the town in northeastern Borno state on Friday. It published pictures of burned barracks and dead bodies it claimed belonged to the soldiers.

Three sources, including one hospital source, confirmed the attack to the Reuters news agency. The sources said the fighters stormed the town on a motorbike at roughly 6:30pm (17:30 GMT) and opened fire on residents and the military in sporadic shootings.

The fighters fled after the military called in air force support and reinforcements from a battalion in a neighbouring town.

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) has carried out a string of attacks in Nigeria in recent months.

The group split in 2016 from Nigeria-based Boko Haram, which has waged a decade-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria that has killed some 30,000 people and displaced a further two million.