U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets in Northwest Nigeria With Nigerian Cooperation

Overview

• U.S. forces carried out airstrikes on Dec. 25 in Sokoto State, with officials saying multiple militants were killed as the Pentagon released a brief video of a missile launch.
• AFRICOM said the strike was conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, and Nigeria’s foreign ministry confirmed precision strikes as part of structured security cooperation.
• President Trump framed the operation as retaliation for militants killing Christians and warned of more action, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Abuja for its cooperation.
• Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar called it a joint operation planned over time using Nigerian intelligence and said further actions would depend on decisions by both governments.
• Analysts and monitoring groups dispute claims that Christians are disproportionately targeted, and the strike follows recent U.S. steps elevating Nigeria to a religious-freedom “country of special concern.”