On Christmas day, a Nigerian military aircraft bombed two villages, killing at least 10 civilians and wounding many more.

The airstrike in Nigeria’s northwest is the latest in a long-running series of lethal errant attacks by the government of Nigeria, one of the United States’ closest allies in Africa and the recipient of billions of dollars in U.S. weaponry, including warplanes and bombs.

American lawmakers have called out the U.S. and Nigerian governments for the frequent noncombatant deaths, urging increased accountability, stronger protections for civilians, and limitations on American arms sales. Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., has been one of the leading voices, repeatedly calling on the Biden administration to, for instance, scuttle a nearly $1 billion attack helicopter deal with Nigeria.

“For millions of Nigerians, Christmas marks a special time for joy, festivities, and coming together with family and loved ones. It’s devastating that this year nearly a dozen families in Nigeria were mourning their loved ones instead of celebrating on Christmas Day,” Jacobs, a founding member of Congress’s Protection of Civilians in Conflict Caucus, told The Intercept. “I continue to be deeply concerned by the trend of civilian harm from Nigerian military operations. With the right guardrails in place, these tragedies can be prevented.”

The Nigerian military has a long history of killing civilians in its battle against militants and “bandits,” and has repeatedly denied responsibility for airstrikes that have........

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