This archive report was first published on 8 July 2019.
On July 8, 2019, a military jet targeted jihadists from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, killing at least 13 civilians and injuring many more, according to residents and a security source.
The air raid occurred in Gajiganna village, 50 kilometers from state capital Maiduguri, where residents said a military jet bombed the area after ISWAP fighters attacked a nearby military base.
"We lost 13 people in the bombardment as many people tried to escape the fighting between the insurgents and troops," a resident said.
However, the Nigerian air force denied any civilian casualties, with spokesman Ibikunle Daramola stating, "there has been no such report" of civilian casualties from forces on the ground.
But a security source in Maiduguri confirmed the incident and blamed residents for flouting military orders to remain indoors, saying, "The villagers were warned not to step out of their homes before the terrorists attacked because there was intelligence they were planning an attack."
The decade-long jihadist campaign of violence has killed 27,000 people and displaced around two million in Nigeria.
