The Nigerian military has regretted the miscalculated bombardment of civilians in an airstrike on Ligarma village in Kaduna state, describing it as “needless and unwanted.”
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said in a statement on Tuesday that the military’s UAV detachment observed the movement of terrorists at Ligarma, a terrorist-infested area in Kaduna State.
He said the aerial surveillance captured movement of groups of persons synonymous with the terrorist tactics and modus operandi.
“Accordingly, the threat was eliminated to prevent the terrorists from unleashing terror on innocent civilians.”
The DDMO said that the military does its best at all times to distinguish between civilians and terrorists. “The military views every civilian death in the cause of operations as a tragedy,” he said. “Such tragedies are needless and unwanted.”
Buba said that the military has taken extensive measures to avoid civilian casualties, including giving precise instructions to communities to alert troops of their activities, particularly when such a community is known to be infested with terrorists and their sympathizers.
He further said that the military will continue to find innovative solutions to the challenges faced in the conduct of operations, including distinguishing between civilians and terrorists who disguise themselves as civilians to perpetrate terror.
PRNigeria reported yesterday that the Nigerian Army took responsibility for Sunday’s airtrikes that left many villagers killed and several others injured at Tudun Biri village in Kaduna State.
The development was confirmed by Samuel Aruwan, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs at the end of an emergency security meeting on Monday.
