Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
US Embassy in Syria: Barrack and Abdi discussed practical steps toward integration into a unified Syria and agreed that the time for unity has come
US Embassy in Syria: US Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack met today with the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi
US Embassy in Syria: Barrack-Abdi meeting discussed the current situation in Syria and the need to take urgent steps to restore stability
Al-Hijri: We call on the guarantor states of the ceasefire agreement to fulfill their pledges to halt this attack and impose direct international protection for the Druze of Syria
Al-Hijri: It is unfortunate and shameful that the other party is not abiding by the ceasefire and that the hostile gangs continue to commit shameful crimes
Spiritual Leadership of the Druze Unitarian community, headed by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri: We call on the guarantors of the ceasefire in Sweida to shoulder their responsibilities
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: One was killed in the raid carried out by an Israeli drone on a motorcycle in the town of Yohmor al-Shaqif
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 62 martyrs killed by IOF in Gaza since morning, including 32 aid seekers.
Reuters: More than 20 injured in Los Angeles, including four critically, after a car rammed into a crowd
NNA: A civilian was killed in a drone strike while fixing plumbing on a rooftop in Matal al-Jabal, on the outskirts of al-Khiam

Pentagon fails to explain deadly Nigeria attack, may have hand in it

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Intercept
  • 21 Dec 2022 12:57
4 Min Read

The formerly secret AFRICOM brief implies that the investigation was launched because intel was given to support the Nigerian armed forces who execute the airstrike.

  • x
  • Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin (EurActiv)
    Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin (EurActiv)

After having been allotted three months to submit conclusions of the investigation into the 2017 Nigeria attack on a refugee camp, the Pentagon failed to meet the deadline to clarify the US role in the January 17, 2017, airstrike which left more than 120 wounded and more than 160 killed.

The Protection of Civilians in Conflict Caucus requested in September that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III provide intrinsic details regarding the attack, which although the Nigerian air force confessed regret to carrying out the attack, it was a formula of “US-Nigerian operations”. 

According to The Intercept, citing a document obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) secretly appointed Brig. Gen. Frank J. Stokes to take on an “investigation to determine the facts and circumstances” of the airstrike.

The formerly secret AFRICOM brief implies that the investigation was launched because intel was given to support the Nigerian armed forces who execute the airstrike.

Before the air strike, a surveillance plane circled above the Rann IDP camp. The camp used to house around 43,000 people and is supervised by the Nigerian military. The air strike targeted the area where most people drew water from a borehole. After that, the jet targeted the tents where people sheltered during their displacement.

Related News

Nigeria army base attack leaves 17 soldiers killed in ambush

Nigeria to commission two Chinese-backed lithium processing plants

'DoD unwilling to engage'

The Protection of Civilians in Conflict Caucus representatives Sara Jacobs, Jason Crow, Ro Khanna, Andy Kim, and Tom Malinowski, requested that the Defense Secretary respond to questions regarding the attack and US military activity in Nigeria within the allotted time of 90 days, which expired two weeks ago.

Anietie Ewang, Human Rights Watch’s Nigeria researcher relayed to The Intercept:“The Pentagon’s failure to provide information and documents … to determine possible U.S. involvement in an airstrike that took many civilian lives in northeast Nigeria does not bode well for the U.S. government’s expressed commitment to transparency and accountability,” adding: “It sends a worrisome message that, at minimum, the Defense Department is unwilling to engage on an issue affecting countless lives and may even reflect an attempt to evade responsibility.”

“The congressional caucus should be persistent so that the necessary information comes to light,” Ewang said.

In light of the missed deadline to submit investigation results, spokespersons for the reprtesentatives handling the probe refused to comment and Lt. Col. Phillip Ventura, a Pentagon spokesperson, merely expressed pessimism: “I don’t think we’re going to get a lot of joy on this one,” he told The Intercept.

In a statement sent to The Intercept, Ventura stated: “The Department of Defense is aware of the matter and addressing the concerns of Congress directly with them. As a Department, we have long-recognized the strategic and moral importance of mitigating harm to civilians - whether resulting from a U.S. military operation or an operation conducted by our allies and partners - and we will continue to improve by implementing the steps outlined in the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP), which Secretary Austin approved in August of this year.”

Originally, the Nigerian and US troops declared that they had no knowledge of the presence of a civilian camp in the region. However, a Nigerian human rights activist probed the matter. Callamard noted the absurdity of the strike, highlighting that the tents were visible from the air, according to satellite imagery.

  • Nigeria
  • Lloyd Austin
  • Pentagon
  • US
  • US Defense Department

Most Read

Algerian nurse stabbed in Germany

Murder of Algerian nurse in Germany sparks outcry, demands for justice

  • Europe
  • 14 Jul 2025
Credible reports, including some from Israeli media itself, indicate that Tel Aviv had pinned its hopes on what can only be described as a delusional plan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Jebraily: Iran strikes rewrote regional deterrence rules - Exclusive

  • MENA
  • 15 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam Brigades fighters confront Israeli soldiers in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

3 Israeli soldiers killed amid Gaza battles: Israeli media

  • Palestine
  • 14 Jul 2025
Donald Trump, the Corporate Aristocracy and the Israelization of the World

Donald Trump, the Corporate Aristocracy and the Israelization of the World

  • Opinion
  • 15 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Senator: Israeli plan for US support to displace Palestinians ‘sick'
Politics

Dem. Senator slams Israeli push for Gaza expulsion as 'sickening'

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, center, and other clergymen gather at the Church of St. George Al Khidr on Monday, days after an arson attack at the site reportedly by Israeli settlers. (AFP - Getty Images)
Politics

Christians under Israeli settler fire in Jesus native Palestinian soil

Smoke from Israeli airstrikes on the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP)
Politics

650 days of Israeli war: 125,000 tons of bombs; 2,613 families effaced

Gaza Health Ministry: Starved Palestinians face imminent death
Politics

Gaza MoH issues warning: Starved Palestinians face imminent death

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS