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Major General Lucky Irabor, who ordered the mission CREDIT: REUTERS/AFOLABI SOTUNDE |
A Red Cross worker said 20 volunteers with the aid group had been killed.
The state government official, who was helping to coordinate the evacuation of wounded from the remote area by helicopters, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters.
Military commander Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor confirmed the accidental bombardment in northeast Rann, near the border with Cameroon.
This is believed to be the first time Nigeria's military has admitted to making such a mistake.
Among the wounded were two soldiers and Nigerians working for Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Irabor said.
An ICRC employee told the AP that 20 Red Cross volunteers were among the dead. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to give information to reporters.
Doctors Without Borders said its team based in Rann had counted 50 bodies and treated 120 wounded.
A statement from spokesman Etienne l'Hermitte urged authorities to facilitate land and air evacuations, saying, "Our medical and surgical teams in Cameroon and Chad are ready to treat wounded patients.
We are in close contact with our teams, who are in shock following the event."
Irabor said he ordered the mission based on information that Boko Haram insurgents were gathering, along with geographic coordinates. It was too early to say if a tactical error was made, he said.
The general, who is the theater commander for counterinsurgency operations in northeast Nigeria, said the Air Force would not deliberately target civilians but there will be an investigation.
Villagers in the past have reported some civilian casualties in near-daily bombardments in northeastern Nigeria.
Some of the nearly 300 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and freed last year have said three of their classmates were killed by Air Force bombardments, according to the freed girls' parents.
from telegraph.co.uk
The state government official, who was helping to coordinate the evacuation of wounded from the remote area by helicopters, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters.
Military commander Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor confirmed the accidental bombardment in northeast Rann, near the border with Cameroon.
This is believed to be the first time Nigeria's military has admitted to making such a mistake.
Among the wounded were two soldiers and Nigerians working for Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Irabor said.
An ICRC employee told the AP that 20 Red Cross volunteers were among the dead. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to give information to reporters.
Doctors Without Borders said its team based in Rann had counted 50 bodies and treated 120 wounded.
A statement from spokesman Etienne l'Hermitte urged authorities to facilitate land and air evacuations, saying, "Our medical and surgical teams in Cameroon and Chad are ready to treat wounded patients.
We are in close contact with our teams, who are in shock following the event."
Irabor said he ordered the mission based on information that Boko Haram insurgents were gathering, along with geographic coordinates. It was too early to say if a tactical error was made, he said.
The general, who is the theater commander for counterinsurgency operations in northeast Nigeria, said the Air Force would not deliberately target civilians but there will be an investigation.
Villagers in the past have reported some civilian casualties in near-daily bombardments in northeastern Nigeria.
Some of the nearly 300 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and freed last year have said three of their classmates were killed by Air Force bombardments, according to the freed girls' parents.
from telegraph.co.uk
End time mistake
ReplyDeleteBullshit. Such mistakes. This is no mistake. I hope the relevant international bodies look into this.
DeleteHuh?
ReplyDeleteWhat were they thinking? Adonbelivit!
RIP to the dead
So sad. Mistakes happen even in developed countries, but someone's head has to be on the chopping block. RIP to the dead.
ReplyDeleteVery sad...
Delete*Paul planted, Appollos watered BUT #God GAVE the increase! *
OMG!
ReplyDeleteChai! What a fate!
Some costly mistakes make u want to ask "How? Why?
May God rest their souls. And comfort the bereaved. And heal the wounded.
This is a costly mistake. This is so sad
DeleteThat's the kind of drama that one see in a zoo(Nigeria) with a fulani cow as president.
ReplyDeleteMay their soul RIP.
Give us or Biafra
Imploded Biafra
DeleteHaba Buhari, even as IDP's u still want to kill them?
ReplyDeleteHow do a whole military jet mistakenly bomb citizens and red cross workers....for crying out loud this is unheard of,where they not briefed before the mission,wasn't a tactical evaluation carried out or even geographical citing on the proposed target that would have prevented such a mistake,even I know this so how do our own military with all their training make such mistake when not even one insurgent was killed from the casualties recorded...this is just sad and embarrassing,am sure boko haram will be laughing or celebrating because our own military have started doing their work for them
ReplyDeleteUS bombed a paediatric hospital filled with women n children in Syria if I'm correct, by mistake! So it happens.
DeleteDondi!!!saying so it happens na better thing??
DeleteWho hacked into the millitary's system? i smell fish
DeleteNaWAoh..what kind of sad news is this eh?? This is the height of recklessness
ReplyDeleteIf there were civilian casualties of between 1 and 10, we could say it was unavoidable but to have casualties of almost 100, someone has to pay for this. This shows gross incompetence. I have never heard about such in Nigeria. Buhari with his badluck came and brought with him every bad thing that could possibly happen in a country.
ReplyDeleteRIP to the dead and if someone doesn't pay for this, I'd just conclude this is that blood sucker's aim all along.
What sort of silly mistake was that? So sad
ReplyDeleteThank God for a successful surgery Oluyomi, speedy recovery.
DeleteOMG!...
ReplyDeleteVuharia and his military workers are bunch of clueless dullards!...
See how human lives are been wasted like chicken!...
Shame!!!...
The blood of the innocent killed under this Vuharia APC scam regime will continue to torment this government!...
RIP to the dead!..
Nne you really need to go back to school,your English is horrible.
DeleteLeave my queen alone.Ewu!
DeleteQuee 👑 u will live long instead of them to send them home cos they can't Feed them anymore they decide to kill them claiming mistake. God will never have mercy on buhari & his family &generation. Wicked jihad Fulani herdsmen idiot president.
DeleteIt was a painful incident. RIP to the dead.
ReplyDeleteFatal error, d bomb dropped by mistake or what? Just like d malay jet dat was shot down and d govt covered it up till today, no trace.
ReplyDeleteIt is just a sad day for all. May God comfort all.
ReplyDeleteHow i wish it is those idiots they bombed.
What manner of fuckery is this? Nigeria is a Joke mehn 💔👎
ReplyDeleteWhat silly excuse,killing displaced people that very bad.
ReplyDeleteIn developed countries the heads would painfully resign for these costly mistakes n govt would pay heavily on compensation but nig would tell u sorry it won't happen again
ReplyDeleteIrabor for don resign since yesterday night.
DeleteWhat a tragedy! May the Lord console those affected.
ReplyDeleteNa wa o! 'Mistakenly'?
ReplyDeleteSo it's even possible that they may have even killed the Chibok girls without knowing na.
ReplyDeleteNigerian military. Going from celebrating defeat over boko haram to making such an inexcusable mistake.
A mistake that claimed about a 100lives.. I don't understand that kind of mistake! what a tragedy!
ReplyDeleteOh nooooo, what an error, such mistakes should not be tolerated.
ReplyDeleteMay they RIP.
Just so sad....
ReplyDeleteThis is an expensive mistake, someone needs to be punished. "I'm sorry" it's not gonna help in this situation.
ReplyDeleteWhat a painful incident. Rip to the dead
ReplyDeleteNigeria is about 923,768 square kilometres and you accidentally bomb a camp which you the military created. The NAF should be accidentally dealt with
ReplyDeleteIs our military now working for Boko Haram
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrible blunder 😔👎
ReplyDeleteThis is no mistake. It was planned, I wonder what they hope to achieve by this other than the death of innocent civilians. Even if it was an accident, the culprits should still be charged with manslaughter. If you mistakenly run your vehicle into someone and the person die, you will be prosecuted for manslaughter, this should not be different. What is the government doing about it? It is pathetic we have to wait till 2019 to correct our mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThis administration is just blood thirsty, are they not satisfied already? That was how some christian youths guarding their church in southern Kaduna were killed on Sunday by soldiers. Book haram has infiltrated the army. Shame!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't they mistakenly bomb Sambisa when they had the chance, now those terrorists are everywhere
ReplyDeleteAs an aid worker, presently in Maiduguri, I would have given more details but Stella rarely approves my comment so I cannot give you all any details.
ReplyDeleteThey are just sacrificing people anyhow, God will judge Vuharia and his agents.
ReplyDelete