Nigerian Air Force authorities have begun investigating the tragedy that reportedly struck the villages of Jika and Kolo, located in the Kidandan area of Giwa Local Government, Kaduna State, after an airstrike mistakenly claimed the lives of several civilians.
Local sources reported that among the victims were 23 worshippers in a mosque, along with others in a nearby market, when the tragic incident occurred on Friday.
NAF, however, stated that the strike was aimed at a terrorist camp and was not intended to target innocent civilians.
The Nigerian Air Force says it has commenced investigation into the alleged bombing of innocent civilians.
The community had alleged that a NAF aircraft mistakenly bombed the community, resulting in the death of over 25 people.
However a statement by the Deputy Director Public Relations and information, Group Captain kabiru Ali says a thorough investigation is currently ongoing to ascertain the facts with a view to keeping the populace informed in due course
The statement added that he 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 and that the said location has been notorious as a terrorist enclave for over 2 years and the successful airstrike would no doubt go a long way in minimizing banditry, kidnapping and similar attacks on innocent civilians in Kaduna State and environs.
Nevertheless, the NAF said it is not taking these allegations lightly, as its focus is to always achieve the desired operational objective without collateral damage.
