Terrorists embedded themselves among civilians, DHQ explains Kaduna bombing

Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Tuesday, said the air strike by the Nigerian Army at Tudun Birni community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, which killed at least 85 civilians, was targeted at terrorists, noting that terrorists embedded with civilians.

Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, said the airstrikes were targeted at terrorists. He said the army’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) detachment observed the movement of terrorists at Ligarma, an area notorious for being a haven of insurgents.

“It should be noted that terrorists often deliberately embed themselves within civilian population centres for the civilian population to bear the consequences of their atrocities,” he said in a Tuesday statement.

“Nevertheless, the Nigerian military does its best at all times to distinguish between civilians and terrorists.

“The military views every civilian death in the cause of operations as a tragedy as such tragedies are needless and unwanted, which causes the armed forces to take extensive measures to avoid them.

“For instance, communities are to always alert troops of their activities particularly when such a community is known to be infested with terrorists and their sympathisers.

“These instructions are intended at enabling the military to distinguish between friendly and untoward activities.”

The Nigerian Army has since accepted responsibility for the incident, stating that its troops were on a routine mission against terrorists when the “mistake” occurred.