KANO: Jihadists have killed six Nigerian troops in an attack on a military base in northeast Nigeria, army sources said Sunday.

Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in trucks fitted with machine guns attacked the base in Auno, a village that is 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, they said.

"We lost six soldiers in the attacks which the terrorists launched around 6:30 pm (1730 GMT), on Saturday, a military officer told AFP.

Jihadists overwhelmed the troops during the two-hour battle, "forcing them to withdraw in disarray," said a another military source who gave a similar toll.