An officer and six soldiers died on Sunday in a counterinsurgency operation in Mainok, Borno State, Nigerian Army authorities have said.

Five other soldiers who sustained various degrees of injuries have been evacuated to the military medical facility for treatment.

Although they did not specifically explain how the security operatives died, reports had emerged that some soldiers were killed in an airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

Sources claimed that the air force bomber accidentally hit the wrong coordinates while targeting Boko Haram insurgents who had attacked the troops.

Amid the controversy sparked by the incident, NAF said it was investigating the airstrike and would give an update as soon as it could.

In a statement on Monday, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, explained that the security personnel were attacked by insurgents mounted on an unconfirmed number of gun trucks, and foot soldiers with the possible intent of establishing a phantom caliphate in Mainok town.

During a duel between the troops and the insurgents, the soldiers were said to have lured a number of the terrorists into a killing zone within their camp.

Thereafter, the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole scrambled Alpha jets and helicopter gunboats which took turns to decimate the trapped terrorists, leading to the killing of scores of Boko Haram terrorists. (Channels TV)