By Harshit
ABUJA, DECEMBER 26 —
US Confirms Precision Strikes in Sokoto State
The United States has carried out airstrikes against militants linked to the Islamic State group in north-western Nigeria, marking a rare American military intervention outside the country’s long-running conflict zone in the northeast.
According to the US military, camps operated by IS-aligned militants in Sokoto State, near the border with Niger, were struck on Christmas Day. An initial assessment indicated “multiple” militant fatalities, though no civilian casualty figures have been released.
Trump Calls Strikes “Powerful and Deadly”
US President Donald Trump described the operation as “powerful and deadly,” stating in a social media post that the militants had been “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.”
“I will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper,” Trump said, confirming the strikes late on Christmas Day.
The comments echoed previous statements by the Trump administration accusing Nigeria of failing to protect Christians and alleging religious persecution — claims Nigerian officials and independent analysts strongly dispute.
Nigeria Says Operation Was Joint and Non-Religious
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC the strikes were a joint operation conducted with Nigerian intelligence support and stressed that religion played no role in the targeting.
“This operation had nothing to do with a particular religion,” Tuggar said. “It has been planned for quite some time, based on intelligence, and it could have happened on any day — not because it was Christmas.”
He added that further strikes had not been ruled out as Nigeria continues to combat extremist violence.
Expansion of IS-Linked Groups Beyond Northeast
For more than a decade, Nigeria’s main jihadist threat has been concentrated in the northeast, driven by Boko Haram and IS-affiliated offshoots such as Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which operates primarily in Borno State.
However, analysts say smaller IS-aligned factions have recently attempted to establish a foothold in north-western states, including Sokoto and Kebbi. Nigerian conflict analyst Bulama Bukati told the BBC that the strikes likely targeted a newer splinter group known locally as Lakurawa, which has migrated from the Sahel region.
“They began slipping into Nigeria around 2018,” Bukati said. “But over the past 18 months, they’ve established camps and started imposing their social laws in parts of Sokoto state.”
Religious Violence Claims Disputed
While Trump has previously designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over religious freedom, multiple monitoring groups — including ACLED — report that most victims of jihadist violence in Nigeria are Muslims, not Christians.
Nigeria is roughly evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, and violence often overlaps with ethnic, economic, and land-use conflicts rather than purely religious motives. In central Nigeria, clashes between herders and farming communities — frequently framed in religious terms — have resulted in atrocities committed by both sides.
US-Nigeria Security Cooperation Deepens
The Nigerian foreign ministry said on Friday that Abuja remains engaged in “structured security cooperation” with international partners, including the US, to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Nigeria for its cooperation, writing on X that he was “grateful for Nigerian government support.”
The US Department of Defense later released a short video appearing to show a missile launch from a naval platform, though it did not specify whether the footage was from the Nigeria operation.
Part of Broader US Campaign Against IS
The Nigeria strikes mark the second major US military action against IS in recent weeks. Last week, US forces launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria, hitting more than 70 IS targets in retaliation for an ambush that killed three Americans.
Despite losing its territorial “caliphate” in 2019, the United Nations estimates IS still maintains 5,000–7,000 fighters across Syria and Iraq, while affiliates across Africa continue to expand.
For Nigeria, the Christmas Day strikes underscore growing international concern that jihadist networks are spreading beyond traditional conflict zones — and that the battle against extremism is entering a new, geographically wider phase.