Witnesses say Boko Haram extremists have attacked a refugee camp in northeast Nigeria just days after Nigeria’s air force bombed it, AFP reports.
An eyewitness speaking on the condition of anonymity revealed that soldiers battled for hours to repel more than 100 Boko Haram fighters who attacked the camp in Rann in Borno state on Thursday evening.
During the battle, about eight Boko Haram fighters were killed and one soldier was wounded. On Tuesday, Nigeria’s air force bombed the camp housing Boko Haram refugees multiple times. Nigerian officials have said it was an accident.
On Friday, medical charity Doctors Without Borders said “around 90” people were killed in the bombing but noted that residents and community leaders say the death toll could be as high as 170.
Nigeria’s air force has said a panel of senior officers will investigate.
The Boko Haram attack Thursday occurred as aid workers were trying to help bombing victims. The Red Cross said Thursday it had evacuated nearly 90 people from Rann to Maiduguri city for medical care.
“This incident happened just an hour after a (Doctors Without Borders) rescue helicopter left the town and has a traumatizing effect on everyone in Rann,” said one aid worker.
