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4d ago

Nigeria Says U.S.-Backed Strikes Hit Two ISIS-Linked Camps in Sokoto

Abuja says MQ-9 drones fired 16 guided weapons from Gulf of Guinea platforms with the president’s sign-off.

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This screen grab from a video posted by the US Department of Defense shows a missile launch from a naval vessel as President Donald Trump says US forces conducted "powerful and deadly" strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria on 25 December 2025, weeks after he warned against any systemic assault on Christians in the country. Picture: HANDOUT / US Department of Defense / AFP
Residents inspect the damage after U.S. forces had launched a strike against Islamic State militants in Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, as U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on December 25, in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Abdullahi Dare Akogun
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Overview

  • Nigeria identifies the targets as two camps in the Bauni forest area of Sokoto’s Tangaza district, describing the operation as coordinated with U.S. forces against foreign ISIS elements entering from the Sahel.
  • The government details 16 GPS-guided munitions launched by MQ-9 Reapers from maritime platforms between 12:12 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 26 after weeks of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance.
  • AFRICOM and Nigerian authorities report multiple militants killed, with no civilian casualties recorded, though debris from expended munitions fell in Jabo, Sokoto, and Offa, Kwara.
  • President Donald Trump announces he directed the action and frames it as protecting Christians, a characterization Nigerian officials dispute as an oversimplification of the country’s security crisis.
  • Discrepancies remain over the weapons used, with an anonymous U.S. official citing Navy-launched Tomahawk missiles and Abuja citing drone-fired precision strikes, as officials in both capitals indicate more operations are possible.