Two US Consulate staff members among four killed in convoy attack in Nigeria

(NEW YORK) — Two staff members of the U.S. Consulate in Nigeria were among the four people killed by armed assailants when an American convoy was attacked on Tuesday, the State Department said.

The staff members, who were not U.S. citizens and who haven’t yet been publicly identified, were killed by people who were “linked with criminal groups” in the country’s southeast, U.S. officials said.

Two members of a local Police Mobile Force were also dead following the assault, Nigerian police officials sad. The victims’ bodies were later set on fire, officials said.

The consulate staff had been traveling in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State as part of a humanitarian effort when their vehicles were struck at about 3:30 p.m. local time, officials said.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said the State Department was investigating the incident.

“What I can tell you is that no U.S. citizens were involved, and therefore, there were no U.S. citizens hurt,” he said during a midday briefing at the White House. “But we are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed.”

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