The Nigerian army killed at least 85 villagers in a drone attack during a religious festival.
The drone attack was supposed to target a group of rebels, but the Nigerian army accidentally targeted villagers during a religious festival. At least 85 civilians died. The West African country’s president, Bola Tinubu, announced an investigation into the incident on Tuesday.
The army admitted on Monday that it made a mistake in a drone attack on a village in northwestern Kaduna state and targeted residents of Tudun Biri village instead of the rebels. They were celebrating a Muslim festival. Some of the victims were buried on Sunday. A spokesperson confirmed the incident but did not initially provide any information on the number of deaths. Villagers spoke of 85 dead, including many women and children.
Air strikes against “bandit militias”
The Nigerian military is carrying out airstrikes against so-called bandit militias in the northwest and northeast of the country. The gangs operate mainly in northwestern Nigeria; their bases are located deep in the forests. They attack and loot villages and kidnap residents to extort money for ransom.
Jihadists also took control of large areas in northeastern Nigeria, but were recently pushed back. More than 40,000 people have been killed in fighting since 2009 and two million people have been displaced. (APA, AFP)