The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has refuted claims stating that some civilians were killed in the recent military air strike on Tumfa market in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Daily Trust reported the military said there is no credible evidence to corroborate claims of civilian casualties from the operation on Sunday.
An international news agency AFP had reported that at least 72 victims killed in the missile strike and local authorities had said that several bodies were extensively mangled.
“Most of the time, residents and armed bandits come to patronise the market,” community leader Garba Ibrahim Mashema told AFP, adding that the real casualty figures could be higher.
“It’s difficult to put an exact number on the deaths at this time. The market is popular with inhabitants and bandits. The people are prey to the marauders. He was quoted as saying: “They can’t do nothing.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International reported said the dead toll from the strike had risen to over 100 and many injured victims were undergoing care in hospitals.
The group also said that one of the impacted communities had a mass burial for roughly 80 victims.
Reacting to the reports, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, speaking through the spokesman of the Defence Headquarters, Brigadier General Michael Onoja, insisted the operation was purely targeted at terrorists.
Onoja said the operation was carried out based on credible intelligence that a high level meeting of terrorist leaders was taking place in the region.
“The strike was carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law and was aimed at a confirmed high-level meeting of militant leaders in the village, based on multi-sourced intelligence,” he said.
The DHQ spokesman dismissed allegations of civilian casualties, saying existing assessments had not confirmed such assertions.
“No credible, substantiated evidence of civilian casualties has been established through any official assessment or independent verification,” Onoja said.
He said the nature of the operation and the security environment in the area made quick verification difficult but preliminary post-strike assessments indicated numerous terrorists were eliminated in the operation.
“Because of the nature of the operation, it is difficult to immediately verify casualties but post-strike assessments suggest that several terrorists were neutralized,” Onoja added.
The military has resumed increased aerial and ground offensives against armed groups operating across Zamfara and other north-western states as part of the continuing counter-terrorism operations.
About the Author
