Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi has said government forces engaged in extensive fighting against Islamist militants who overran a town in the north of the country on Thursday.

It's the first time the government has acknowledged the attack on Macomia - the third town to be seized by jihadists in recent months.

Mr Nyusi said some Islamist commanders had been killed in the fighting, but this has not been independently verified.

About 600 people are reported to have been killed since the insurgency began three years ago