Barely two months after a Nigerian Army airstrike accidentally killed 85 people and injured several others in Igabi area of Kaduna State, the United States has said it would continue to engage with Nigerian authorities on minimising harm to civilians during military operations.
Speaking yesterday during a briefing on outcome of U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken’s recent trip to the country and update on U.S. policy with Africa, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee, submitted: “As always when we meet with our Nigerian partners, we talk about how to minimise harm to civilians when undertaking complicated operations against the terrorist threat that Nigeria experiences – also the threat from Boko Haram and from bandits.
“The Secretary also had the opportunity to meet with civilian leaders to talk about their engagement to promote the rights and opportunities for different civilian groups. So, this is a topic that remains an ongoing component of our conversation with Nigeria, and we look for ways in both our policies and programmes to support Nigeria’s wish to make sure that the country is safe and secure for all its citizens.”
