Nigeria's airforce denies responsibility as
about 30 people are killed at a funeral
ceremony in an air strike in Abadam.

Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon have
joined forces to combat the armed Nigerian
group, Boko Haram.
About 30 mourners have been killed at a
funeral ceremony when an unidentified plane
bombarded a village in Nigeria's Borno
State, near the border with Niger.
Two military officials in the town of Bosso, in
Niger, where soldiers from Chad and Niger are
massed in preparation for operations against
Boko Haram, said the incident occurred in a
village across the border in the Abadam area.
"We don't know whose plane it was. We
understand that the victims are residents who
were gathered for a ceremony but who were
mistaken for terrorists," a military source said.
"Around 30 people perished."
Two local officials told the AFP news agency
there were 31 or 32 dead and 20 wounded.
An elected local leader in Bosso, which is
about 10km from Abadam, said: "At first we
thought it was a blunder by Chad or Niger's
army, but now we suspect the Nigerian army
is responsible."
The leader said a similar air strike several
days ago on the nearby village of Gamgara
killed one person.
Air Commodore Dele Alonge, a spokesman for
Nigeria's air force, said: "It's not to my
knowledge and there has not been any report
from our people of such an incident."
Niger is part of a joint regional force that is
involved in ongoing assaults against the
armed Nigerian group Boko Haram. Niger has
committed more than 700 troops to the
regional force.
Its border region with Nigeria has seen recent
attacks and counter-attacks between the
regional forces and Boko Haram.
Boko Haram 'deaths'
Separately on Wednesday, Nigerian military
sources claimed to have killed more than 300
Boko Haram fighters during an operation to
recapture 11 towns and villages since trhe
beginning of the week, the Reuters news
agency reported.
"Weapons and equipment were also captured
and some destroyed," defence spokesman
Major-General Chris Olukolade said in a
statement.
"However, two soldiers lost their lives while 10
others were wounded."
It was not possible to independently verify the
military's statement.
Nigerian forces have in past been accused of
overstating enemy casualties while greatly
understating their own and those of civilians
caught in the crossfire.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/air-strike-kills-dozens-nigerian-border-village-150218133907144.html

Nawa oo

na so ooo

Quite unfortunate.