Overview
- U.S. Africa Command said the strike took place in Sokoto State with Nigeria’s cooperation and its initial assessment found multiple ISIS militants were killed, with no detailed casualty or civilian-impact figures released.
- President Trump announced the action and cast it as a response to killings of Christians, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Nigerian authorities and warned there could be more strikes.
- Nigeria’s foreign ministry and Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar characterized the operation as coordinated and targeting terrorists, rejecting a religious framing.
- Reporting from The New York Times cited Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a U.S. ship in the Gulf of Guinea hitting insurgent camps in Sokoto, a detail not independently confirmed by officials.
- The strikes follow weeks of U.S. policy moves including placing Nigeria on the religious-freedom watchlist, imposing visa restrictions, expanding surveillance flights, and stepping up security coordination.