U.S. Launches Airstrikes on Islamic State in Northwest Nigeria

By Brian Kiprono and Agencies - Reporter

Nigeria, 26 December 2025 - The United States has carried out airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants operating in north-western Nigeria, in what both Washington and Abuja have confirmed was a coordinated military operation.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the strikes late Thursday, describing them as “powerful and deadly” and claiming they had targeted IS positions in Sokoto State. He said the operation demonstrated his administration’s determination to prevent extremist groups from gaining ground.

The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) later clarified that the strikes were conducted in close collaboration with Nigerian authorities. Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, separately confirmed to the BBC that the operation was jointly planned and executed.

Tuggar said further military action could follow, depending on decisions made by the leadership of both countries, signalling that cooperation between Abuja and Washington remains active amid persistent security threats.

The strikes come weeks after President Trump instructed the US military to prepare for possible action against extremist groups operating in Nigeria. In recent months, he has repeatedly raised concerns about Islamist violence in the country, framing it as a threat to religious communities.

However, security analysts and human rights organisations caution against portraying the conflict in religious terms. Groups that track political violence, including ACLED, say there is no evidence that Christians are being targeted more than Muslims. Nigeria is roughly evenly split between the two faiths, and casualties from jihadist violence have largely included Muslims.

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An adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu previously emphasised that any foreign military involvement must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty. Daniel Bwala said Nigeria welcomed international support but insisted that counterterrorism efforts should be collaborative.

President Tinubu has repeatedly stressed that Nigeria’s security crisis cuts across religious and regional lines. He has maintained that extremist violence affects citizens of all beliefs and has called for unity rather than division.

Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have waged an insurgency in Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands and displacing millions, particularly in the north-east. Meanwhile, central Nigeria continues to experience deadly clashes between herders and farmers over land and water, with both Muslim and Christian communities suffering losses.

Rights groups say framing Nigeria’s complex security challenges as a religious conflict risks oversimplifying the crisis and undermining efforts to build lasting peace.