The Togolese army in a statement Thursday said a group of teenagers killed in the northern region were hit by an airstrike after they were mistaken for jihadists.

Earlier reports by a local radio near Margba, the area of the incident said the children were killed by a mine explosion on their way home from the Muslim Eid al-Adha celebrations.

The victims were between the ages of 14 and 18.

The Togolese army chief Dadja Maganawe said the army expressed its profound regret for this tragedy.

The strike happened in the northern region where Togo declared a state of emergency last month due to rising insecurity, as insurgents from neighbouring Burkina Faso launched attacks.