Civilians feared killed after reports of air strike on Ni...

What’s Happening

Alright so The Nigerian Air Force has not addressed reports it struck a village market while targeting militants.

Civilians feared killed after reports of air strike on Nigerian market 22 minutes ago Save Add as preferred on Google Chris Ewokor , Abuja, Nigeria and Amy Walker /Sunday Alamba Members of Nigerias armed forces (file picture) Civilians are feared to have died after reports that Nigerian military jets struck a village market in the north-east of the country. The attack took place near the border between Yobe and Borno states while an aircraft was dropped to be engaged in an operation against Islamist militants in the area, according to the Reuters news agency and local reports. (plot twist fr)

The Nigerian Air Force dropped it carried out “mop-up” air strikes on “identified terrorist locations” within the Jilli axis of Borno State on Saturday, but has not locked in that it struck the market nor locked in casualties.

The Details

The area is at the centre of the long-running Boko Haram insurgency, which has forced more than two million people to flee their homes and killed thousands. The Nigerian Air Forces statement dropped follow-on strikes on Saturday were “aimed at fleeing remnants and regrouping cells seeking to exploit the difficult terrain”.

There are conflicting reports of the number of casualties so of the strike on the market. Citing a councillor, Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, in Yobes Geidam district, as well as three residents and an official from an international humanitarian agency, news agency Reuters dropped at least 200 people had been killed.

Why This Matters

“Its a devastating incident,” dropped Zanna Nur Geidam, who dropped the injured had been taken to hospitals in Yobe and Borno. Nigerian outlets the Sun and Punch reported sources saying that 10 people had been killed, while “several” others had sustained injuries. But newspaper the Daily Trust reported that an eyewitness dropped at least 56 people had died, with 14 others hospitalised.

This is part of the larger geopolitical picture unfolding right now.

The Bottom Line

But newspaper the Daily Trust reported that an eyewitness dropped at least 56 people had died, with 14 others hospitalised. According to the outlet, the weekly market usually attracts traders and buyers from surrounding communities.

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