Nigerian military dismisses report on killing of fishermen in North-East airstrike

The Defence Headquarters on Thursday dismissed the report on the killing of 20 fishermen in a military airstrike at Kwatan Daban Masara in the fringes of Lake Chad.

A report emerged on Tuesday that the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai’s jet trailing members of the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) missed the target, killed some fishermen and injured several others in the area.

The Acting Director of Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, who made the clarification in a statement in Abuja, said the air component, acting on credible intelligence on the activities of terrorists in an identified ISWAP camp at the location, conducted airstrikes on the target on September 26.

He said the air interdiction was conducted after careful Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance missions revealed the activities of ISWAP elements in the location.

READ ALSO: Nigerian troops hit ISWAP terrorists in Yobe, kill two commanders, capture weapons

According to him, the intelligence gathered was processed and carefully analyzed between August 19 and September 23.

Onyeuko said: “Persons wearing combat vests and uniforms identified as ISWAP-styled uniforms were seen within the camp.

“Furthermore, neither women nor children were noticed in or around the camp, just as no fishing activities were seen.

“Instead, canoes loaded with unidentified items were seen parked but not engaged in any fishing activity, an indication that they were to be ferried to another location.

“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 on the ISWAP camp.”

The defence spokesman said the casualty figures has not been ascertained, adding that the strike was verified to be successful in disrupting ISWAP logistics movement and foot soldiers.

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