The Nigerian military has defended an air strike on Jilli village market near the Borno–Yobe border, calling the target a terrorist enclave as public anger grows over reported civilian casualties.
The strike, carried out on Saturday under Operation HADIN KAI, has sparked widespread backlash, with local authorities, political leaders and rights groups condemning the incident amid conflicting accounts of casualties.
Local sources reported the death toll at over 40 civilians, while other reports indicated that figures could be significantly higher, reflecting ongoing confusion and lack of consensus over the exact number of casualties.
The military, however, maintained that the location was a legitimate military target, describing Jilli as a known logistics hub and convergence point for fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province.
“The Air Component of Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI, in a carefully, well-coordinated, planned, and intelligence-driven operation, has successfully conducted a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.