In Anambra state of Nigeria, terrorists attacked a convoy of US Embassy personnel, killing 2 policemen and 2 consular officials, while two policemen and the driver were abducted.
According to the World News Agency, after killing the police officers and consular staff, the terrorists burnt their bodies along with the car and still no trace of the hostages could be found.
On the other hand, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that it appears that an American vehicle was targeted, but I can confirm that no American citizen was killed or injured in the attack.
However, the US State Department later said in a statement that its diplomatic staff is working with Nigerian security services to investigate the incident. Personnel safety is always important to us.
On the other hand, the Nigerian government has not revealed the identities of the dead and kidnapped officials, nor has it been told how many people were in the diplomatic convoy and where and for what purpose these people were going.
The Nigerian Police Chief lamented that the convoy entered the dangerous area without informing the police or any security agency and without taking guards. If they had informed before entering the area, security would have been provided.
It should be noted that the area where the American diplomatic staff was targeted is a stronghold of the separatists and just yesterday, 30 people were killed and dozens of houses were destroyed in raids by the security forces in the north-central state.
The security forces claimed that the militants were killed in the operation while their hideouts were also destroyed.
It is believed that the American convoy was attacked in response to this action by the security forces.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra is active in the region, having formed a paramilitary organization called the Eastern Security Network in 2020.
Initially, the paramilitary organization was only to protect local farmers and residents from crime, but the Nigerian police have accused them of carrying out violent attacks, which the organization has always denied.
Nnamdi Kanu, the founding leader of the separatist organization Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB, was arrested in 2015 and 2021 and fled abroad after being released on bail, which has since increased the organization’s militancy.
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2024-08-18 12:59:30