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3d ago

U.S. and Nigeria Confirm Joint Strikes on ISIS-Linked Camps in Sokoto

Nigerian officials say two Bauni forest enclaves were hit with precision weapons launched from Gulf of Guinea platforms.

A general view of destroyed structures in Offa, Nigeria, on December 27, 2025, caused by debris from expended munitions that fell from U.S. strikes on unspecified militants linked to the Islamic State group in Nigeria.
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’s information ministry said 16 GPS-guided munitions were employed using MQ-9 Reaper drones to strike two sites in Sokoto’s Bauni forest, with no civilian casualties reported.
  • U.S. Africa Command said multiple militants were killed in the coordinated operation, though casualty figures and on-the-ground damage assessments remain unverified.
  • Footage released by the U.S. military showed missiles fired from a navy vessel, while Abuja described drone-delivered strikes from maritime platforms, highlighting unresolved details about the weapons and launch methods.
  • A spokesman for President Bola Tinubu said the targets included ISIS elements working with the Lakurawa jihadist group and local bandit gangs, citing intelligence on foreign fighters moving in from the Sahel.
  • President Donald Trump framed the action as protecting Christians and said he delayed the strike to Christmas, a characterization Nigerian officials rejected as they emphasized a non-sectarian counterterrorism mission; both sides indicated further operations are possible.