Nigerian Air Force Kills Over 20 Fishermen While Trying To Bomb Boko Haram Terrorists In Borno

Nigerian Air Force has Killed over 20 Fishermen while targeting Boko Haram Terrorists in Borno.

A fighter jet operated by Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has mistakenly killed over 20 fishermen in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram Terrorists in Borno State.

AFP reports that the military aircraft was targeting terrorist camps in Kwatar Daban Masara in the Lake Chad area when the incident happened on Sunday.

A security source said the strike was based on “credible information” of a gathering of Boko Haram fighters in the village since Wednesday and it was obvious they were planning an attack,

The source added that although, the number of dead fishermen may be more than twenty, it is not the fault of the Nigerian Air Force.

The bombarded area is considered as an enemy territory because it’s under the control of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) that broke away from Boko Haram.

It was gathered that there was an influx in the area after ISWAP lifted a ban on fishermen in its territory, allowing them to move in and fish in the freshwater lake for a fee.

“Any fisherman that goes to that area does so at his own risk because it is an enemy territory and there is no way of differentiating them from the terrorists.

“From the information we have been receiving the death toll is much higher than 20,” one local intelligence source said.

Another fisherman, Sallau Arzika, said the fighter jet struck the village “killing many of our people who are there for fishing.”

“The initial death toll was around 20, but the figure has been increasing with the deaths of many of the injured,” Arzika said.

News of the incident was slow to emerge due to limited telecommunications in the region.

A Nigerian air force spokesman did not immediately respond to a message seeking confirmation or comment.

This comes came less than two weeks after officials say another airstrike on a village killed nine civilians in Yobe State.