Nigerian authorities said Monday they were investigating a military airstrike in Yobe state that residents, aid groups and the U.N. said killed dozens of people at a market in the country’s northeast.
The strike hit Jilli village on Saturday in what the military said was an operation targeting a Boko Haram enclave based on intelligence and surveillance. Amnesty International said more than 100 people were killed and 35 wounded when three military jets fired on the market, while a U.N. report put the death toll at at least 56 with 14 injured. Witnesses and rights groups said civilians, including traders and residents, were among the victims.
Nigeria’s Air Force said it had opened an investigation and acknowledged the strike may have hit a civilian area. A civilian security group working with the military said there was evidence that militants had gathered near the market and were planning attacks on nearby communities.
A health worker said more than 20 injured people were treated, with critical cases taken to a hospital, while survivors described chaos after the blast. The strike has renewed concerns about civilian protection and targeting errors in Nigeria’s military campaign against insurgents.
Nigeria has battled a jihadist insurgency since 2009, led mainly by Boko Haram and its Islamic State-linked breakaway faction. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has drawn growing scrutiny as authorities face pressure to improve security while avoiding civilian deaths.