Nigeria's airforce denies responsibility as about 30 people are killed at a funeral ceremony in an air strike in Abadam.

About 30 mourners have been killed at a funeral ceremony when an unidentified plane bombarded a village in Nigeria's Borno State, near the border with Niger. 

Two military officials in the town of Bosso, in Niger, where soldiers from Chad and Niger are massed in preparation for operations against Boko Haram, said the incident occurred in a village across the border in the Abadam area.

"We don't know whose plane it was. We understand that the victims are residents who were gathered for a ceremony but who were mistaken for terrorists," a military source said. "Around 30 people perished."

Two local officials told the AFP news agency there were 31 or 32 dead and 20 wounded.

An elected local leader in Bosso, which is about 10km from Abadam, said: "At first we thought it was a blunder by Chad or Niger's army, but now we suspect the Nigerian army is responsible." 

The leader said a similar air strike several days ago on the nearby village of Gamgara killed one person.

Air Commodore Dele Alonge, a spokesman for Nigeria's air force, said: "It's not to my knowledge and there has not been any report from our people of such an incident."

Niger is part of a joint regional force that is involved in ongoing assaults against the armed Nigerian group Boko Haram. Niger has committed more than 700 troops to the regional force.

Its border region with Nigeria has seen recent attacks and counter-attacks between the regional forces and Boko Haram. 

Boko Haram 'deaths'

Separately on Wednesday, Nigerian military sources claimed to have killed more than 300 Boko Haram fighters during an operation to recapture 11 towns and villages since trhe beginning of the week, the Reuters news agency reported.

"Weapons and equipment were also captured and some destroyed," defence spokesman Major-General Chris Olukolade said in a statement.

"However, two soldiers lost their lives while 10 others were wounded."

It was not possible to independently verify the military's statement.

Nigerian forces have in past been accused of overstating enemy casualties while greatly understating their own and those of civilians caught in the crossfire