Written By | News Agencies
The US defence department posted a short video that appears to show a missile being launched from a military vessel. [File: BBC]
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Sokoto State
The United States has carried out air strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group in north-western Nigeria, where jihadist factions have recently sought to establish a foothold.
According to the US military, the strikes targeted militant camps in Sokoto State, which borders Niger. An initial assessment indicated that there were multiple fatalities, though exact figures were not disclosed.
US President Donald Trump said the Christmas Day strikes were “powerful and deadly,” describing the militants as “terrorist scum.” He claimed the group had been “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.”
However, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC that the operation was jointly conducted by Nigeria and the United States and was not religiously motivated.
“This has nothing to do with a particular religion,” Tuggar said, adding that the operation had been planned “for quite some time” and was based on Nigerian intelligence. He did not rule out further strikes, stressing that the timing had nothing to do with Christmas.
“It could be any other day,” he said. “It is about attacking terrorists who have been killing Nigerians.”
Nigeria has been battling a complex network of jihadist groups for more than a decade, including Boko Haram and IS-linked splinter factions. While most insurgent activity has traditionally been concentrated in the north-east, the expansion into the north-west is a relatively recent development.
The Trump administration has previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from jihadist violence and has alleged that a “genocide” is taking place—claims disputed by Nigerian authorities and independent analysts. Trump has previously designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom violations, a classification that can trigger US sanctions.
In November, the US military was ordered to prepare for possible intervention in Nigeria. At the time, an adviser to President Bola Tinubu told BBC News that militants had targeted people across religious lines and insisted that any US action should be conducted jointly with Nigerian forces.
Violence-monitoring groups say there is no evidence that Christians are being killed in greater numbers than Muslims in Nigeria, which has a roughly even religious split.
In a social media post late on Christmas Day confirming the strikes, Trump said he would “not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the Nigerian government for its “support and cooperation,” ending his message with: “Merry Christmas!”
The US Department of Defense later released a short video appearing to show a missile launch from a naval vessel.
On Friday, Nigeria’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the country remains engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States.
“This has led to precision air strikes on terrorist targets in the North West,” the statement said.
Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and IS-affiliated factions have killed thousands of people in north-eastern Nigeria over the past decade. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), most victims have been Muslims.
Nigerian human rights lawyer and conflict analyst Bulama Bukati said the strikes likely targeted a new IS-aligned splinter group that originated in the Sahel and has recently moved fighters into Nigeria.
The largest IS-linked faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), operates mainly in the north-east, while a smaller group—known locally as Lakurawa—has attempted to establish camps in Sokoto and neighbouring Kebbi State.
“They began slipping into Nigeria around 2018,” Bukati said, “but over the past 18 months to two years they have set up camps and imposed their social laws on communities in parts of Sokoto.”
BBC Monitoring reports that pro-IS social media channels have documented near-daily US reconnaissance flights over Sokoto and Borno State, the stronghold of ISWAP.
Separately, central Nigeria continues to experience deadly clashes between mostly Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities over land and water resources. Rights groups note that atrocities have been committed by both sides.
The Nigeria operation marks the second major US strike against IS in recent weeks. Last week, the US announced a “massive strike” on IS targets in Syria, hitting more than 70 locations using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery, with support from Jordanian aircraft.
Those strikes were carried out in retaliation for an IS ambush that killed three Americans—two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
