U.S. carries out Christmas day strikes in Nigeria

The United States carried out precision strikes against ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria on December 25, an operation that U.S. officials say was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government. The rare long-range attack, reportedly from a Navy vessel offshore, marks one of the most significant U.S. counterterrorism actions in West Africa in recent years. 

President Donald Trump announced the operation on Christmas night, saying he had ordered “a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria,” claiming the militants have been “viciously killing innocent Christians” in the region. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) later confirmed that multiple ISIS fighters were killed in the strike.

According to Nigerian and U.S. officials, the strikes hit two ISIS-linked camps in the Bauni forest of Sokoto state, a region far from Nigeria’s traditional jihadist hotspots in the northeast. The militants targeted were described as foreign fighters entering Nigeria from the Sahel, working alongside the Lakurawa jihadist group and local armed gangs.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had engaged in “structured security cooperation” with the U.S., including intelligence sharing and strategic coordination that enabled the precision strikes. 

A spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu added that the militants targeted were part of a network in which ISIS fighters had “found their way through the Sahel to assist the Lakurawa with supplies and training,” which ended up prompting the request for U.S. support.

News about this operation quickly drew global attention due to its timing and the involvement of U.S. naval assets. Analysts noted that the location of the strike (Sokoto State) is unusual, which hints that ISIS-linked groups may be shifting routes or expanding alliances across northern Nigeria