Five missing soldiers 'found in Nigeria'

Five of the 19 soldiers who went missing after an ambush by Boko Haram insurgents Nigeria's volatile northeast have been found, the army has said.

The military launched a search for the troops after they went missing Thursday during a military operation in the town of Alagarno in Borno state, the epicentre of Boko Haram's seven-year Islamist insurgency.

Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement late Saturday that five of the soldiers had been found, including the unit's commanding officer.

"Although they are in a stable condition, have been moved to our medical facilities for medical care," he said, adding that the other 14 are still unaccounted for.

Boko Haram's bid to form a hardline Islamic state has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and displaced more than 2.6 million people, with the violence spilling over into neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

A counter-offensive spearheaded by Nigeria since January last year has pushed the militants into remote border areas around Lake Chad.