Officials claim seven children were killed in a Nigerian airstrike in Niger.

A local governor in Niger, state television, and an aid agency reported on Sunday that the Nigerian military killed and injured children in an airstrike in neighboring Niger, however, Nigeria's armed forces maintained they were still investigating.

According to Chaibou Aboubacar, the governor of Maradi, the incident took place on Friday in the town of Nachadé in the Maradi area of Niger, just a few kilometers from the Nigerian border. According to him, seven children were killed and five others were injured.

He didn't disclose how he knew the strike was carried out by the Nigerian military. It was also carried out by Nigerian forces, according to Niger's national television, without offering evidence.

"The Nigerian Air Force does not make incursions beyond of Nigeria's geographical boundaries as a matter of policy. Our policy is as follows: "Nigeria's Director of Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor, stated. He stated that an investigation was now underway.
Medecins Sans Frontieres, a medical charity that cared for some of the injured, verified the strike. It was reported that 12 individuals died, four of whom were children. The Nigerian military was hunting targets who had fled a border village, residents told MSF.

The exact cause of the strike was unknown. It happened in a region where banditry is frequent and both governments are concerned that Islamic State-linked rebels are gaining ground.