The 2017 bombing of a displaced persons’ camp was termed a “U.S.-Nigerian” operation, according to a document obtained by The Intercept.
By Nick Turse, The Intercept
The United States played an unacknowledged role in the 2017 bombing of an internally displaced persons’ camp in Nigeria that killed more than 160 civilians, many of them children.
A surveillance plane circled above the Rann IDP camp, which housed 43,000 people and was controlled by the Nigerian military, before a jet arrived and bombed the area where people draw water from a borehole, survivors of the attack said. The jet then circled and dropped another bomb on the tents of displaced civilians sheltering there.

The Nigerian air force expressed regret for carrying out the airstrike, which also killed nine aid workers and seriously wounded more than 120 people. But the attack was referred to as an instance of “U.S.-Nigerian operations” in a formerly secret U.S. military document obtained exclusively by The Intercept.
Evidence suggests that the U.S. launched a near unprecedented internal investigation of the attack because it secretly provided intelligence or other support to the Nigerian armed forces, a contribution hinted at by Nigerian military officials at the time. The U.S. inquiry, the existence of which has not been previously reported, was ordered by the top American general overseeing troops in Africa and was specifically designed to avoid questions of wrongdoing or recommendations for disciplinary action, according to the document.
Recent Posts
In Ukraine, Biden Is Walking Into A Trap
March 20, 2023
Take Action Now Three key factors show why the administration needs to press the accelerator pedal on negotiations with Russia now. by…
Immediate Action Is Needed To Ensure ‘A Livable Future For All,’ UN Climate Panel Says
March 20, 2023
Take Action Now World needs a “quantum leap” in climate ambition to stave off devastating consequences. By Joseph Winters, Grist Current and future…
The Lords of Chaos
March 20, 2023
Take Action Now The politicians and shills in the media who orchestrated 20 years of military debacles in the Middle East, and who seek a world…
War Made Easy: The Iraq War 20 Years Later
March 19, 2023
Take Action Now This critically acclaimed documentary exhumes five decades of remarkable archival footage to show how presidents from both parties…