U.S. Urges Nigeria Show 'Restraint' in Striking Back Against Islamic Militants

On May 18, Nigerian war planes “struck militant camps in the northeast” in an attempt to stem the growing tide of Islamic terrorists in the area. The U.S. quickly warned that Nigeria needs to be sure “to respect human rights and not harm civilians.”

Reuters reports that Nigerian troops used “jets and helicopters to bombard targets in their biggest offensive since the Boko Haram group launched a revolt almost four years ago.”

The situation in northeast Nigeria has become so bad that President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency there days ago. 

Since that time, as Nigeria has used jets and helicopters to try to rein the Islamists in, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he has “credible evidence” that Nigeria has committed “human rights violations” in retaliating against the Islamists. 

Kerry said he condemns “Boko Haram’s campaign of terror in the strongest terms,” but he wants Nigeria to show “restraint” in their response.