US President Donald Trump has announced that American forces carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria on Thursday. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the strikes targeted 'ISIS Terrorist Scum' who had been 'targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians'. He claimed the operation was conducted at his direction and described it as 'powerful and deadly'.
The US military's Africa Command confirmed the strike occurred in Sokoto state, in coordination with Nigerian authorities. An earlier statement suggesting the strike was at Nigeria's request was later removed. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth expressed gratitude for Nigerian government support and cooperation. Nigeria's foreign ministry said the strikes were part of ongoing security cooperation involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination.
Forests in Sokoto, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by armed bandits and members of the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), known locally as 'Lakurawa'. Some analysts suggest the ISSP cell in the state originated from herders banding together to fight bandit incursions in the absence of state support. Earlier this month, US planes conducted surveillance missions over the region, reportedly using an airport in Ghana as a launch base.
Trump has previously threatened a 'guns-a-blazing' US military intervention in Nigeria, accusing the government of inadequately protecting Christians. Nigeria is officially secular, with a nearly evenly divided population of Muslims (53%) and Christians (45%). The government rejects framing the country's violence as religious persecution, noting that armed groups target both Muslims and Christians. Analysts say the situation is complex, with clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers often rooted in competition over land and water, exacerbated by ethnicity and religion.
The strikes occurred a day after a Christmas Eve bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and wounded over 30. The Nigerian army attributed the attack to Boko Haram. Trump, who campaigned on a promise of ending 'endless wars', has overseen multiple military interventions in his first year back in office, including strikes on Yemen, Iran, Syria, and a military buildup targeting Venezuela.
