Niamey, Niger
Reuters
—
The Nigerian navy has killed and wounded children in an airstrike in neighboring Niger, a neighborhood governor in Niger, state tv and an support company stated on Sunday, though Nigeria’s armed forces stated they had been nonetheless investigating.
The assault happened in the village of Nachadé in the area of Maradi, Niger, on Friday, a couple of kilometers from the border with Nigeria, stated Chaibou Aboubacar, the governor of Maradi. He stated seven children had been killed and 5 wounded.
He didn’t say how he knew that Nigerian forces carried out the assault. Niger’s state tv additionally stated it was carried out by Nigerian forces, with out offering proof.
“As a matter of policy, the Nigerian Air Force does not make any incursions into areas outside Nigeria’s territorial boundaries. That’s our policy,” Major General Jimmy Akpor, Nigeria’s Director of Defence Information, stated. He stated an investigation was underway.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, which cared for among the wounded, confirmed the strike. It stated that 12 individuals died, together with 4 children. Local inhabitants informed MSF that Nigerian forces had been pursuing targets who had fled a border city.
The particular cause for the strike was not clear. It occurred in a area the place banditry is frequent and the place each governments worry that Islamist insurgents linked to Islamic State are gaining floor.