Nigeria, Feb. 18 -- A Nigeria Air Force airstrike targeting bandits accidentally killed six civilians in Yauni, a community in the Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, residents have reported.

The airforce described the reports of the accidental killings as troubling and said the Chief of the Air Staff, Hasan Abubakar, has ordered a thorough investigation.

The airforce's spokesperson, Olusola Akinboyewa, an air vice marshal, in a statement, said the airstrike targetted bandits who had killed two police officers and four vigilantes. He said many terrorists were eliminated in the operation.

However, residents told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the military airstrike also killed six members of a family comprising three children, ...