By Ola Kay
The United States under President Donald Trump has made good its threats to intervene in Nigeria’s alleged terrorist attacks on Christians by carrying out strikes which targeted militants in country’s north-west, accusing the group of attacking Christian communities
Although the Nigerian government has repeatedly denied allegations of attacks targeting only Christians and rather argued that bandits have continued to launch violent onslaught indiscriminately on both Christian and Muslim communities, most especially in the North East and North West parts of the country.
President Trump confirmed that the US carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Nigeria’s north-west on Thursday, after weeks of condemning their activities for targeting Christians.
Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform said: “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!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.”
On its part, the US military’s Africa Command said the strike was carried out in Sokoto state in coordination with the Nigerian military.
But, an earlier statement posted by the command on X said the strike had been executed at the request of Nigerian authorities, but that statement was later removed. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said he was “grateful for Nigerian government support + cooperation”.
Reports say forests in Sokoto, bordered by Niger to the north, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) known locally as ‘Lakurawa’. Some analysts say the ISSP’s cell in the state started as a group of herders banding together to fight incursions from bandits, in the absence of state support.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the as a fallout of Nigeria’s ongoing security cooperation with the United States , involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to target militant groups. The ministry said in a post on X: “This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West.”
Earlier this month US planes conducted surveillance missions over the North West. A report says they may have used an African neighbour as a launch base.
Recall that President Trump had promised to launch a “guns-a-blazing” US military intervention in Nigeria, alleging that the Nigerian government government has been inadequate in its efforts to prevent attacks on Christians by Islamist groups.
The US powered strikes took place a day after Christmas Eve bombing at a mosque in northeast Nigeria killed at least five people, leaving over 30 others seriously wounded. The Nigerian army has blamed the incidence of suicide bombing in Borno,which is the hot bed of a jihadist insurgency for almost two decades, on Boko Haram terrorist group.
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