A suicide bomber linked to Islamic State-affiliated militants has reportedly killed at least 27 Nigerian soldiers in northeast Nigeria.
The attack took place late Friday in a wasteland between Borno and Yobe states.
According to military sources, the bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy of troops during a ground offensive targeting the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The explosion also left several soldiers critically injured, and the death toll may rise as some of the wounded are in serious condition.
The assault occurred in the Timbuktu Triangle, a stronghold of ISWAP.
The militant group, which broke away from Boko Haram in 2016, is notorious for using roadside bombs and rigged vehicles to target soldiers.
The 15-year-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria has claimed 40,000 lives and displaced two million people, with violence spilling into neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
