A Nigerian air force fighter jet on a mission against Boko Haram extremists mistakenly bombed a refugee camp on Tuesday, killing more than 100 refugees and aid workers and wounding 200, a government official and doctors said.
Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor confirmed that “some” civilians were killed in the northeastern town of Rann, The Associated Press reports. In the military’s fight against Boko Haram extremists, bombardments take place nearly every day in the area, and villagers have previously reported civilian casualties from airstrikes; it’s believed this is the first time the Nigerian military has admitted it hit the wrong target.
The general said he had information that Boko Haram insurgents were gathering in the area, and that’s why he ordered the operation.
The International Committee for the Red Cross said six workers with the Nigerian Red Cross have died and 13 were wounded. “They were part of a team that had brought in desperately needed food for over 25,000 displaced persons,” spokesman Jason Straziuso said in a statement. Dr. Jean-Clément Cabrol, the director of operations for Doctors without Borders, called the bombing “shocking and unacceptable.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
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