Following through on threats made last month, President Donald Trump announced Dec. 25 that he had ordered air-strikes against Islamic State targets in Nigeria, ostensibly in retaliation for the group’s targeting of Christian communities.
Trump wrote on Truth Social:Â “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!”
Trump’s post did not specify where the military action took place, though the Pentagon’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) later stated that strikes took place in “Soboto State” —an obvious misspelling of Sokoto state, in northwestern Nigeria. AFRICOM did not specify how many strikes took place, nor did it provide any early damage assessment, other than saying that the operation killed “multiple terrorists.”
The strikes consisted of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a US Navy ship. Nigeria has confirmed the bombings, stating that they were conducted in partnership between the two countries. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC it was a “joint operation” coordinated with his government, but added that the strikes had “nothing to do with a particular religion.” Tuggar stated that planning for the operation had been in motion for “quite some time,” alluding to the possibility of future such strikes.
A resident in Jabo town shared with AFP that locals were surprised by the air-strikes, noting they had not known of any militant activity in the area within the past two years. The resident added that “this area has never been a Lakurawa enclave,” using the name for the local ISIS affiliate. Others in neighboring districts stated that two of the strikes targeted Warriya and Alkassim villages, both known to house militant camps. (LWJ, Jurist)
Map: Google
US forces to Nigeria
Boko Haram fighters massacred more than 160 people in two villages in western Nigeria Feb. 3, in one of the deadliest insurgent attacks in recent years. The militants, believed to belong to the group’s Sadiku faction, rounded up people in Woro and Nuku villages in Kwara state, tied their hands, and then shot or slit their throats. They also torched homes and shops. The attack was reportedly punishment for the communities’ resistance to the group’s demands to be invited to preach. The raid coincided with acknowledgement by the Nigerian government that a small US military contingent was in the country to help in counter-insurgency operations. (TNH)