Nigerian Air Force insists only terrorists were killed in airstrike that left 24 dead

By Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu

KANO, Nigeria (AA) - The Nigerian Air Force insisted Monday that 24 people killed in an airstrike on a village in Kaduna state were terrorists.

Residents of Jika da Kolo village in the Giwa Local Government Area say the victims of the Sept. 27 strike were worshippers at a mosque and people at a market.

Nigerian Air Force Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, Kabiru Ali, said the location has been notorious for being a terrorist enclave for years.

“The attention of the Nigerian Air Force has been drawn to reports of alleged civilian casualties following the successful airstrike on a terrorist enclave in Giwa LGA of Kaduna state,” he said.

Ali said the airstrike on the location was based on credible intelligence from numerous reliable sources as well as confirmatory surveillance of the target area before the strike.

He said the Nigerian Air Force is not taking these allegations lightly, as its focus is to always achieve the desired operational objective without collateral damage, assuring that a thorough investigation is currently ongoing to ascertain the facts with a view to keeping the populace informed in due course.