2023 Anambra ambush | |||||||
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Part of the insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
United States Nigeria | Biafran separatists (suspected) | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
United States consulate personnel Anambra State police | IPOB (alleged by the Anambra State police)[1] | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1 United States consular convoy | unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
United States consulate personnel: 2[2][3][4]-3[1] killed 1[2]-2[1] kidnapped Anambra State police: 2[2][3][4]-4[1] killed 2 kidnapped[2][3] | unknown |
The 2023 Anambra ambush was a violent attack on a United States consular convoy in the town of Atani,[3] in Southeastern Nigeria. Several unidentified assailants opened fire on the convoy as it was traveling along a road, then setting the corpses of the dead and their vehicles on fire.[1][2] Though the attack caused multiple casualties, none were of American citizens as confirmed by both Nigerian and American authorities.[1][2][3][4] It remains unclear whether or not the attack was specifically targeting the consulate or was intended to target Nigerian security forces in general, though the local police alleged that it was an attack perpetrated by IPOB or its armed branch.[1]