ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s military has again killed a large number of civilians with an airstrike it says was targeting militants instead, a mistake that has occurred a number of times in recent years and raises questions about the capabilities of a U.S. security partner.The latest such strike occurred on Sunday, when Amnesty International’s Nigeria office says at least 100 civilians — some of them children — were killed at a market in Tumfa town in northwestern Zamfara state. A Red Cross official in the state confirmed the airstrike to The Associated Press and said “multiple civilians” were killed.Nigeria ’s military, however, denied killing civilians. Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja confirmed an airstrike at the market but said there was “no verifiable evidence of civilian casualties,” and said military operations continued in the area.
Such strikes have killed hundreds of civiliansSuch strikes are common in Nigeria’s conflict-battered north, where the military relies heavily on aerial bombardments to target hideouts of dozens of armed groups. Fighters tend to move in large numbers on motorcycles through remote forests and villages that are often out of the reach of ground troops.Since 2017, the military has killed over 500 civilians with airstrikes, according to SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based research firm that gathered reports and data from affected villages.The Trump administration recently sent troops and drones for intelligence and logistics support to Nigeria’s military. It is not clear if U.S.-provided intelligence was used in the latest strike.
