Many people are feared to have lost their lives after another accidental airstrike hit the Tungar Kara community, Maradun Local Government Area in Zamfara state on Saturday evening.

Intelligence source told counter-insurgency expert and security analyst, Zagazola Makama that the victims include members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG), vigilantes, and residents of the community, who were called to respond to bandits incursion in the area.

According to Makama, the vigilantes were mistaken for bandits, shortly after the bandits had fled the scene.

“So far, 16 dead bodies have been retrieved, but the total number of casualties is not yet clear,” the source said.

The Nigerian military under Operation Fansan Yanma has been intensifying operations against banditry and terrorism in Zamfara and other parts of the northwest, which have been plagued by insecurity.

The troops successfully dismantled terrorists’ hideouts in the Fakai area of Shinkafi Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State, neutralizing 25 terrorists and rescuing seven kidnapped victims.

They also cleared several camps belonging to terrorist kingpins, including Bello Turji and Mallam Ila, in the Fakai axis.