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IS Claims It Killed 11 Soldiers in Northeastern Nigeria


FILE- An Islamic State flag is seen in this photo illustration.
FILE- An Islamic State flag is seen in this photo illustration.

Islamic State killed 11 Nigerian soldiers in an attack on the northeastern town of Gajiganna, the group claimed Saturday through its news agency AMAQ.

The jihadist organization said 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. They said the militants stormed the town at roughly 6:30 p.m. (1730 GMT) and opened fire on residents and the military in sporadic shootings.

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

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) 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 30,000 people and displaced 2 million.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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