The Islamic State on Saturday said it had staged a midweek ambush of soldiers in Burkina Faso ahead of elections this month.

The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, in a message carried on its Amaq news outlet and on social media, said it killed 20 soldiers traveling in a convoy Wednesday in Tin-Akoff in Oudalan province.

A rival group, the Jihadist Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), had claimed responsibility Friday in social media posts.

A government spokesman Thursday put the death toll at 14 while blaming "armed terrorist groups."

The attack took place in the country's north, near