The Islamic State (IS) group has published a video purporting to show an ambush in Niger in which four US soldiers were killed last October.

It is not clear why the release of the video - via an IS outlet on messaging app Telegram - was delayed until now.

The video consists mainly of raw footage, including images apparently filmed using a helmet camera belonging to one of the soldiers.

The video seems to suggest that the attack was carried out by IS militants.

The deaths became a major talking point in the US when the widow of one of the soldiers, Army Sgt La David Johnson, said President Donald Trump had made her cry during a condolence phone call by suggesting her husband "knew what he signed up for".

The president later said Ms Wilson's account of the call was "totally fabricated" .

The propaganda film begins with still images showing an alleged pledge of allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by members of the al-Qaeda-linked, Sahel-based group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

JNIM was formed from a number of West African jihadist groups in March 2017, and originally had pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.

The alleged pledge was reported last month by a number of analysts, but it had not been promoted by IS outlets on social media.

 

Read more:  BBC News