The United States has carried out coordinated airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants operating in north-western Nigeria, US and Nigerian officials have confirmed, in what marks one of the most significant publicly acknowledged US military actions in the region in recent years.
Former US President Donald Trump said the US military launched what he described as a “powerful and deadly strike” against IS positions in Nigeria. Writing on his Truth Social platform late on Thursday, Trump said American forces had “executed numerous perfect strikes” against what he called “terrorist scum,” adding that under his leadership the US would not allow “radical Islamic terrorism” to prosper.
US Africa Command (Africom) later confirmed the operation, saying the strikes were carried out on Thursday in Sokoto state and were conducted in coordination with the Nigerian armed forces. Africom did not release details on casualty figures or the extent of damage but said the operation was aimed at degrading the group’s operational capacity.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, told the BBC the attack was a “joint operation” targeting terrorist elements and stressed that it was not directed at any religious community. He said further strikes could take place depending on decisions taken by leaders of both countries.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also acknowledged Nigeria’s role in the operation, thanking the Nigerian government for its support and cooperation in a post on X.
In his statement, Trump accused the Islamic State group of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.” However, Nigerian officials and independent conflict analysts have disputed this claim. Groups monitoring violence in Nigeria say there is no evidence that Christians are being killed at higher rates than Muslims.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is roughly evenly divided between Muslims and Christians and has faced complex and overlapping security challenges for more than a decade. Islamist insurgent groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have waged a prolonged insurgency largely in the country’s north-east, killing thousands of civilians and displacing millions. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled), most victims of jihadist violence in Nigeria have been Muslims.
Beyond the jihadist insurgency, violence in central Nigeria has been driven by frequent clashes between mostly Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities over land and water resources. These confrontations have often escalated into deadly cycles of retaliation. Human rights organisations say the violence is rooted in competition for resources, criminal banditry and weak local governance rather than religious identity alone.
An adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has previously said that while Nigeria welcomes international assistance in combating armed groups, any foreign military involvement must respect the country’s sovereignty and be conducted in partnership with Nigerian forces. President Tinubu has repeatedly stressed that Nigeria maintains religious tolerance and that insecurity affects citizens across faiths and regions.
The strikes have drawn attention across West Africa, where governments are increasingly concerned about the spread of jihadist activity from the Sahel into coastal states. Regional security analysts say cooperation between Nigeria and international partners remains critical as armed groups seek new areas of operation following military pressure in other parts of the region.
International reaction has been mixed. Some US lawmakers and conservative groups welcomed the strikes as a strong response to militant violence, while human rights organisations urged transparency over civilian harm and called for any counterterrorism operations to comply with international law.
The operation also comes amid diplomatic tensions following Trump’s recent announcement that he had designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged violations of religious freedom. The designation, used by the US State Department, can lead to sanctions against countries accused of severe religious freedom abuses. Nigerian authorities rejected the characterisation but said they remained committed to working with the United States and the international community to protect communities of all faiths.
Analysts say the joint operation highlights both the scale of Nigeria’s security challenges and the continuing role of international military cooperation in efforts to contain jihadist groups in West Africa.
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