The Defence Headquarters has said the drone attack on Ligarma community in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday was based on information about untoward activities of terrorists in the area.
This is contained in a statement by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Mr Buba said the Nigerian Army Unmanned Aerial Vehicle detachment had at about 2200hrs on Sunday, observed movement of terrorists at Ligarma, known to be a terrorist-infested area in Kaduna State.
He said the aerial surveillance captured movement of persons synonymous with the terrorist tactics and modus operandi.
Mr Buba explained that the observed advance of the gathered terrorists posed a threat to key infrastructure within reach of their activities.
According to him, the threat was eliminated to prevent the terrorist from unleashing terror on innocent civilians.
He said, “It should be noted that terrorists often deliberately embed themselves within civilian population centres for the civilian population to bear the consequences of their atrocities. Nevertheless, the Nigerian military does its best at all times to distinguish between civilians and terrorists.
“The military views every civilian death in the cause of operations as a tragedy as such tragedies are needless and unwanted, which causes the armed forces to take extensive measures to avoid them.’’
According to him, one such measure taken by the military is to continually give precise instructions to communities.
“For instance, communities are to always alert troops of their activities particularly when such a community is known to be infested with terrorists and their sympathisers. These instructions are intended at enabling the military to distinguish between friendly and untoward activities,” he stated.
Mr Buba said the armed forces would continue to operate in line with international laws and also continue its determined and cautious progress in eradicating terrorist from the land.
He said the terrorists were often disguised as civilians to perpetrate terror as part of their tactics, adding that the military would continue to find innovative solutions to the challenges faced in the conduct of its operations.
NAN