Official: Nigeria mistakenly bombs camp, kills more than 100


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — A Red Cross worker says volunteers for the relief agency are among those who've been killed in a mistaken bombing of a refugee camp in Nigeria. It was carried out by a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet that was on a mission against Boko Haram (BOH'-koh hah-RAHM') extremists.

A state official said more than 100 refugees were killed and aid workers were wounded. But according to the Red Cross worker, 20 volunteers with the aid group were among the dead.

A military commander confirms the accidental bombardment. It's believed to be the first time Nigeria's military has admitted making such a mistake. He said he ordered the mission based on information that Boko Haram insurgents were gathering.

Doctors Without Borders said its team had counted 50 bodies and treated 120 wounded.

In the past, villagers have reported some civilian casualties in near-daily bombardments in northeastern Nigeria.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent World stories

Related topics

World
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast