Seven children killed in Niger by Nigerian army air strike
February 21, 2022, 7:20 am

Seven children killed in Niger by Nigerian army air strike

A girl from Niger (File photo: Pixabay)

The BBC reported, a local governor in Niger and state media have said, seven children have been killed in Niger in an air strike by the Nigerian army targeting "bandits".

The governor of Niger's Maradi region told AFP, five more were hurt in the apparently accidental strike.

The BBC mentioned that Governor Chaibou Aboubacar said four were killed instantly and three died on their way to hospital. State TV said the attack happened in Nachade village.

Nigerian officials said an investigation had begun.

Mr Aboubacar said the victims' parents were attending a ceremony and "the children were probably playing" when the air strikes hit them.

He said he believed the planes were targeting "armed bandits" in areas around the border between the two countries but missed their target and hit Nachade, a village in the area of Madarounfa.

According to the BBC, Niger and Nigeria have been conducting joint military operations against armed gangs responsible for a wave of kidnappings and killings in the region.

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It said that since 2018 Niger has reinforced military patrols along its border with Nigeria to prevent incursions of the gangs.

It noted that the children's deaths come just three months after 26 children aged five and six died in a fire at a school in Maradi city.

Source: BBC

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