The region has been hit by a number of strikes this month as energy giant TotalEnergies readies to resume its liquefied natural gas project in the insurgency hotbed Cabo Delgado province.

The army base near Macomia, a district in Cabo Delgado, came under attack on Tuesday by Islamic State insurgents, a Mozambican military officer said.

"There was a strong clash, casualties on both sides and more than 10 among the insurgents," he said on condition of anonymity because he was was not authorised to brief the media.

The Islamic State (IS) claimed the attack via its communication channels and said it had killed 10 government soldiers.

The group is known to exaggerate claims of battlefield operations for propaganda purposes.

"This base is a military position with significant numbers of troops, they were bold to attack it," the military source said.

Earlier this month, IS also claimed an attack that killed 11 soldiers in Cabo Delgado. A security expert put the toll at 17. The Mozambique military did not comment publicly.

The attack followed one where three Rwandan soldiers were killed in area and another where two rangers were slaughtered on a game reserve in neighbouring Niassa province.

The successive attacks are the latest uptick in clashes in an area blighted for years by jihadist violence that has killed thousands of people and uprooted over a million from their homes.

It forced the suspension of the giant gas exploration project by TotalEnergies in 2021 after militants attacked the port town of Palma in an assault that lasted several days, sending thousands of people fleeing into the surrounding forest.

The attack left a colossal toll of 1,402 civilians dead or missing, according to independent journalist Alex Perry.

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne said last Friday that the situation had "greatly improved" but conceded "this does not mean that there are not sporadic incidents".

More than 6,000 people have died since the start of the insurgency in 2017, according to conflict tracker organisation ACLED.

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