The victims included worshippers at a mosque and people at a nearby market.
Villagers in Jika da Kolo, Yadin Kidandan, Kaduna State, have accused the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) of mistakenly bombing their community during an anti-terrorist operation, leaving at least 23 people dead.
According to Tribune, the victims included worshippers at a mosque and people at a nearby market.
The NAF, however, disputed this claim, stating that the operation targeted a terrorist logistics base in Yadi Forest based on credible intelligence.
"Reports from independent sources confirmed that the logistics base was totally destroyed and scores of terrorists were killed as a result of the attack," said Group Captain Kabiru Ali, NAF’s Deputy Director, Public Relations and Information.
Residents countered, saying the victims were mostly civilians.
“The strike disfigured the bodies of most of those affected. 23 mutilated bodies were gathered from the scene and had been buried according to Islamic rites,” a villager said.
The councillor representing the area, Abdullahi Ismail, confirmed the incident, stating, "Yadin Kidandan is a danger zone because it is under the control of bandits. “But there are also innocent villagers who still live around there because they have no other place to go."
A survivor from the village added, “We heard when the plane arrived; it dropped something and a moment later, we heard a loud sound.
“Family members of the victims went to the scene and recognized their relatives for the funeral."
The villagers are urging the federal and Kaduna State governments to investigate the incident, lamenting that they have nowhere else to move to.
“It is a difficult moment for us,” said another local, Malam.
Group Captain Ali defended the operation, explaining that the airstrikes targeted terrorists based on intelligence reports.
“Intensive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance confirmed the consistent presence of terrorists and their motorcycles at the location," he said.
Ali emphasized that the NAF, in collaboration with ground forces, will continue operations to eliminate terrorism in the North-west and North-central zones.
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