Overview
- President Trump announced the attacks and framed them as a response to militants killing Christians, warning of further strikes if such killings continue.
- Abuja confirmed the operation was planned with Washington, said Nigerian intelligence guided the targeting, and Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar reported pre‑strike calls with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after President Bola Tinubu gave approval.
- AFRICOM and the Pentagon said several IS fighters were killed and released footage of a missile launch from a U.S. warship, while neither side provided independent casualty figures or a full target list.
- The strikes hit the northwestern state of Sokoto, where authorities and analysts note jihadist and criminal violence has claimed both Christian and Muslim victims, undercutting claims of uniquely Christian targeting.
- It was the first U.S. strike in Nigeria under the current administration and followed Trump’s November threats and the renewed U.S. designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern on religious freedom.