US diplomatic convoy attacked in Nigeria

Gunmen killed four people and kidnapped three more in a US diplomatic convoy in Anambra state, southeastern Nigeria, on Tuesday.

There were no American citizens in the convoy, the police spokesman said.Ikenga Tochukwu.

The gunmen killed two consulate staff and two mobile police force officers before setting fire to their vehicle, the news agency said.AFP.

Although security forces were deployed to the scene, the armed men managed to kidnap two police officers and a driver, making it necessary to begin a “rescue/recovery operation” at night.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, confirmed the attack during a briefing with reporters in Washington DC and confirmed that no US citizens were involved.

HeDepartment of State also confirmed the attack and said that personnel from the US Mission in Nigeria are working with that African country's security services to investigate.

Separatists operating in the region have stepped up their attacks in recent years, usually against police or government buildings.

Nigerian officials often blame attacks in the southeast on the illegal Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) movement and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network. IPOB has repeatedly denied responsibility for the violence.

Separatism is a sensitive issue in Nigeria, where the declaration of an independent Republic of Biafra by Igbo army officers in the southeast in 1967 sparked a three-year civil war that left more than a million dead.

Violence in the southeast is just one of the many problems facing the president-electTinubu Ball, who will take command of the most populous nation inAfricaat the end of this month.

Besides theviolenceIn the southeast, the military is also fighting a 14-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast, kidnapping and killing gangs in the central and northwestern states, and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

After a brief period of calm during the presidential and gubernatorial elections in February and March, attacks have been increasing in recent weeks.