NAF airstrike only targets and kills terrorists

The Director, Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, says the military airstrike of Jan. 24 in Nasarawa State only targeted and eliminated terrorists.

Famuyiwa said this while reacting to questions at a bi-weekly news briefing on the operations of the armed forces, on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the air strike was carried out after series of intel and surveillance, adding that innocent civilians were not killed as being speculated in some quarters.

He faulted the report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleging that the NAF bombarded herders who were evacuating their cattle in Kwatiri, a border community between Benue and Nasarawa.

In its report on June 7, HRW said “Nigerian authorities have provided little information and no justice” with regard to the airstrike.

“Although the authorities admitted carrying out the raid, the organisation said, they evaded “key questions” concerning the circumstances surrounding the attack.

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HRW said their preliminary investigations revealed that the pastoralists had gone to Kwatiri to pay fines for the release of their cattle seized by the Benue State Livestock Guards when they were struck in the air raid.

But in his reaction to the report on Thursday, NAF spokesman challenged the organisation to produce evidence to prove the allegation that those killed in the airstrike were not terrorists.

According to him, there had been Intel from several reliable sources of the activities of terrorists in that particular area.

“You are all aware of the nefarious activities of criminal elements in that part of the country.