ABUJA
\n\u200cNigeria\u2019s Defense Headquarters on Monday denied reports of civilian deaths from airstrikes on suspected bandits in the northern Niger state, saying the strikes were intelligence-led and hit only militant targets.
\nDefense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja said drone strikes carried out overnight between May 9 and 10 targeted the villages of Katerma, Bokko, Kusasu and Kuduru in the Shiroro district after \u200cintelligence indicated \u200cthat armed gangs \u2014 known locally as \u200cbandits \u2014 were gathering to plan attacks.
\nThe denial came in response to reports in Nigerian media alleging civilian casualties, underscoring longstanding concerns about the impact on local communities of airstrikes in Nigeria\u2019s conflict zones.
\nNigerian security forces are battling banditry in the northwest and a 17-year Islamist insurgency \u200cin the northeast.
\nLast \u200cmonth, around 200 people were killed after \u200cmilitary jets struck a village market while pursuing \u200cIslamist militants in the northeast, local residents told Reuters.
\nIn the latest airstrikes, Onoja said at least 70 suspected bandits were killed in Kusasu alone. \u200cPost-strike intelligence showed surviving fighters regrouping, with more than 200 motorcycles moving toward nearby Zango village, he added.
\n\u201cThe strikes were precisely targeted at identified terrorist enclaves and achieved their intended military objectives,\u201d Onoja said, adding that residents had relocated to another village beforehand, limiting the likelihood of civilian presence.
\nHe didn\u2019t say whether civilians were given warning of strikes.
\nThe military has ordered field units to investigate any claims of civilian harm, Onoja said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ABUJA \u200cNigeria\u2019s Defense Headquarters on Monday denied reports of civilian deaths from airstrikes on suspected bandits in the northern Niger state, saying the strikes were intelligence-led and hit only militant targets. Defense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja said drone strikes carried out overnight between May 9 and 10 targeted the villages of Katerma, Bokko, Kusasu […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-545955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n