The United Nations on Saturday acknowledged that two civilians together with a 5-year-old child had been slain and an assist helicopter harmed in a jihadist raid in restive northeast Nigeria.
Boko Haram fighters waging a decade-long insurgency within the area launched the assault within the city of Damasak on Thursday.
Edward Kallon, who is the UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria stated each of the casualties and several others who were wounded in the assault were on the ground.
“A UN Humanitarian Air Service helicopter was hit by bullets during the assault. No aid workers were on board on the time and crew members are all safe,” Kallon stated in a press release.
A UN communication seen by AFP stated the plane was shot as it moved toward Damasak and the pilots managed to drift back to regional capital Maiduguri 150 kilometres (90 miles) away.
The note stated the UN was discontinuing rotational flights for one week “to engage with government partners and conduct new risk assessments”.
Helicopters provide an important link delivering humanitarian employees and providing assistance to an estimated 7.8 million individuals in urgent need of help across northeast Nigeria.
The 10-year jihadist fighting has slaughtered 36,000 people and forced some 2 million from their residence in the region.
Key roads remain too detrimental to tour regardless of the Nigerian army continually claiming it has extensively defeated the insurgents.
The UN has cried of an uptick in attacks focusing on aid staff in the northeast of the nation.
The area around Damasak on the border with Niger is dominated by the Islamic State West Africa Province, which broke away from jihadist group Boko Haram in 2016.
(AFP)
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