At least 200 people are feared dead after Nigerian military aircraft struck a village market in Borno state on Saturday night, according to local residents and a regional councillor.
The incident occurred in the Jilli axis of northeast Nigeria during a military operation targeting Islamist militants. Local officials reported that the airstrikes hit the market area, resulting in mass casualties among the civilian population.
The Nigerian Air Force confirmed in a statement released to Reuters on Sunday that it had conducted operations in the Jilli axis and killed Boko Haram militants. However, the military’s statement did not acknowledge that a market had been hit, nor did it provide details regarding civilian casualties.
Military Operations in Borno State
The airstrikes took place within a region long plagued by the insurgency of Boko Haram and its offshoots. The Nigerian military has frequently utilized aerial assets to target militant hideouts in the dense terrain of the northeast, though these operations have occasionally resulted in reports of collateral damage.
Residents of the affected area described a scene of devastation following the Saturday night strikes, noting that the timing coincided with market activity in the village. The councillor for the area emphasized the scale of the loss, though official death tolls from the central government have not been provided.
The Nigerian Air Force did not respond to subsequent requests for comment regarding the specific targets of the mission or the reports of civilian deaths at the market site.
