Nigeria’s military has ordered two officers to face court martial proceedings over a drone strike that killed at least 85 civilians. The incident occurred on December 3 and was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians.

The Nigerian military has been increasingly relying on aerial assaults to combat Islamic militants in the northeast and armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest.

The investigation revealed that the strike in a village in northern Kaduna state should never have happened.

The military has apologized for mistaking a religious gathering of villagers for armed criminal gangs. However, this incident is part of a series of aerial assaults that have resulted in civilian casualties.

Last month, an air strike in northwestern Zamfara state killed at least 33 people during a military operation targeting armed kidnap gangs and their hideouts.