LOME: The Togolese army has admitted to killing seven children on July 10 in a blast in the village of Margba, in Tone Prefecture, in its northernmost region Savanna region near the border with Burkina Faso.
In a statement issued Thursday, the military revealed that the youngsters aged 14-18 were hit by air raids at dawn after they were mistaken for what they say was a group of” jihadists” who entered the country on the basis of intelligence gathered. “This tragedy occurred against a backdrop of consistent intelligence reports of threats of infiltration by armed gangs with intention of carrying out terrorist attacks against localities in the northern part of Togo,” the statement said.
“Given the imminent danger and determined to ward off any hostile action that might endanger the population, the command of Koundjoare Operation reinforced the surveillance and control of the area by land and air. It was during these operations that an aircraft on night patrol mistakenly targeted a group of people it mistook for a column of moving jihadists.” Koundjoare is a military outpost established in the town as part of efforts to thwart potential moves by armed groups in Burkina Faso to sneak into the country.
The admission comes to light after an investigation launched following the death of the seven children killed as they were returning home late at night from celebrations of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. –Agencies
