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At least 13 civilians were killed in an air raid while the army repulsed a jihadist badault in northeastern Borno, residents said Sunday and a security source said.
Several residents of the village of Gajiganna, 50 kilometers from Maiduguri, state capital, told AFP on Tuesday that a military plane had targeted jihadists from the state's province. Islamic West Africa (ISWAP) after attacking a nearby military base.
The Nigerian Air Force, however, said it did not report any civilian casualties.
Fleeing residents were caught in the bombing, residents said on condition of anonymity, fearing for their personal safety.
"We lost 13 people in the bombing while many people were trying to escape fighting between insurgents and troops," said one resident.
"Many people were wounded in the attack," he said.
The military aircraft was deployed around 7:30 pm (6:30 pm GMT) to support base troops who were trying to fend off militants, residents said.
"Many people were too scared to stay in their homes and escaped from the village as fighting raged between troops and insurgents," said a second resident.
"They were confused with the attackers by the jet that shot at them, leaving 13 dead and several wounded," he said.
The spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Ibikunle Daramola, told AFP "that there have been no reports of this type" noting civilian casualties attributable to forces on the ground.
"What I can badure you is that the Nigerian air force responded by providing close air support to our troops attacked by the Boko Haram terrorists. done was coordinated with the army, "he said.
But a security source in Maiduguri confirmed the incident to AFP and blamed residents for not obeying military orders to stay inside.
"The villagers were warned not to leave their homes before the terrorist attack because there was intelligence planning an attack," the source said.
"As fighting continued, some villagers started fleeing their homes as the airliner bombed the terrorists," said a security official who asked not to be named for fear of sanctions. .
"I learned that between 13 and 16 people in the village died and others were injured," he said.
An army officer said that ISWAP fighters in nine vans equipped with machine guns attacked the base around 17:00 GMT, engaging troops in a fight.
The jihadists were subdued by the support of the combat aircraft that destroyed six trucks and captured two others, the officer said.
On Thursday, the army showed reporters the vehicles seized during a visit to the Gajiganna base, an AFP journalist told the event.
Some buildings at the base were burned.
The military commander, Brigadier-General Bulama Biu, said that ISWAP fighters "were trying to infiltrate" the base, but were facing "fierce resistance" from the troops.
According to Biu, the attack was "repulsed" with air support in which "many insurgents were killed".
He made no reference to civilian casualties.
The Boko Haram branch, affiliated with the IS, has launched a series of attacks against military bases and government targets in the north-east of the country since last July, killing dozens of people. .
The decade-long jihadist campaign killed 27,000 people and displaced about two million people in Nigeria.
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