Borno air strike was precise, professionally executed – Military
By Matthew Eloyi
The Nigerian military has said that it carried out a “precise and professionally executed” air strike on a jihadist camp in the Lake Chad area where locals and security sources said 20 fishermen were killed.
According to local fishermen and security sources, the supposed fishermen were killed in the bombardment on Sunday on Daban Masara in Lake Chad, which straddles Nigeria and neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
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The area is a known bastion for the Islamic State West Africa Province, one of the jihadist forces fighting in Nigeria’s 12-year Islamist insurgency in the northeast.
The air force statement did not give any details about casualties or a figure, but said people with “combat vests and ISWAP-styled uniforms were seen” at the camp, where no fishing activities were going on.
“Having carefully ascertained that nearby civilian settlements were not in the line of fire and a precision strike would disrupt ISWAP logistics movement and neutralise them, a decision was made to conduct a strike.
“Although casualty figures could not be ascertained, the strike was verified to be successful in disrupting ISWAP logistics movement and foot soldiers,” the statement said.
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The statement added that necessary steps were taken to ensure that the presence of the terrorists was ascertained and the strike was precise and professionally executed.
Reports of civilian casualties came less than two weeks after another Nigerian air strike on a village in nearby Yobe state killed at least nine civilian residents, according to officials.
