Nigeria Air Force orders investigation after dozens killed in airstrike
Nigeria Air Force says it has launched an investigation after dozens of civilians were reportedly killed in an airstrike on Saturday at Jilli market, along the border between Borno and Yobe states. The Nigeria Air Force said it had sent a team "to immediately proceed to the location on a fact-finding mission on the allegation".
Local residents and Amnesty International say more than 100 people lost their lives. Authorities have yet to confirm the death toll, but some hospitals in Yobe state say they are treating those injured. The military confirmed the strike in a statement, saying it had targeted a location in Jilli "long identified as a major terrorist movement corridor and convergence point for Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists and their collaborators". The military said it had "successfully conducted a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli". The military said "scores of terrorists" were killed in the strike, but did not mention any civilian casualties. Ahmed Ali, a 43-year-old market trader, told Reuters he was injured in the blast. Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International's Nigeria director, told the Associated Press that there were "more than 100 dead" and 35 people seriously wounded.
Local councillor Zanna Nur Geidam said "the total casualties, dead and injured, is around 200". He added that at least eight more of the wounded had died on Sunday.
Quick Summary
The Nigerian Air Force is under scrutiny following a recent airstrike near the Borno and Yobe states border. Reports of civilian casualties have emerged - raising questions about the operation's impact.
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