37 People Killed & 20 Wounded As Unidentified Military Jet Strike Mourners In Niger Village

At least 37 mourners at a funeral ceremony were killed and several others wounded when an unidentified plane bombarded Abadam village in Niger near the Nigerian border. Confirming the incident to Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a village head, Ibrahim Ari, said many were killed and several others injured.

The strike came as Niger takes part in a regional offensive against Boko Haram fighters who have extended their brutal six-year insurgency to Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

A Niger army report obtained by the agency that gave the death toll said the plane’s “origins remained undetermined.”

“The victims were residents attending a mourning ceremony for a prefecture official,” a humanitarian source said, adding that the attack was near a mosque in Abadam, Niger.“At first we thought it was a blunder by Chad or Niger’s army, but now we suspect the Nigerian army is responsible,” said leader from Bosso in Niger.

The leader said a similar air strike several days ago on the nearby village of Gamgara killed one person.

Debunking the allegation, Nigeria’s defence spokesman, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade told the BBC that the army was not aware that a Nigerian plane bombarded mourners in Abadam, Niger.“It’s not to my knowledge and there has not been any report from our people of such an incident,” he said.