NEWS & POLITICS
Nigeria confirms joint U.S. airstrike as critics question Trump administration’s motives
Nigeria has confirmed its cooperation with the United States following a U.S. airstrike carried out in the country’s north-west on Christmas Day, an operation that has drawn international attention to both Nigeria’s counter-terrorism strategy and its rejection of claims that Christians are being disproportionately targeted in the conflict.
Staff Writer 
The strike, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, targeted suspected Islamic State–linked militants operating in northern Nigeria. Trump said the operation was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government, marking a rare instance of publicly acknowledged joint military action between Washington and Abuja.
US President Donald Trump’s official Twitter post announcing military strikes in northern Nigeria
Local media reported loud explosions in the village of Jabo on the evening of December 25, though casualty figures have not been independently confirmed. Nigerian authorities later confirmed they had approved the operation, describing it as part of ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation with the United States.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said the country acted jointly with U.S. forces but stressed that the operation was not directed at any religious group. He emphasized that Nigeria is a multi-religious nation and that its security partnerships are focused on combating terrorism and protecting civilians, regardless of faith.
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Cooperation After Diplomatic Tensions
The airstrike followed heightened diplomatic tensions last month, when Trump threatened unilateral U.S. military action unless Nigeria addressed what he described as the persecution of Christians. The Nigerian government firmly rejected those claims, saying that while the country faces serious security challenges, violence is not driven by a state-backed campaign against Christians.
Nigeria has long battled insurgency, banditry, and mass kidnappings across its northern regions, particularly from Islamist groups and criminal gangs. However, officials argue that victims of violence cut across religious and ethnic lines, and that framing the crisis as religious persecution risks oversimplifying a complex security problem.
Militants allied to IS have sought to establish a presence in two north-western states, while a separate IS-linked group has a stronghold in north-eastern Borno
In response to Washington’s warnings, Nigerian officials traveled to the United States to deepen security cooperation, including intelligence-sharing and surveillance efforts aimed at identifying militant strongholds. Analysts say the Christmas Day strike reflects that renewed collaboration, rather than unilateral U.S. intervention. Critics of U.S. foreign policy argue that the Trump administration’s approach is driven by strategic self-interest, pointing to Nigeria’s economic potential and its geopolitical position as a gateway to the Sahel region.
Militants in the North-West
Security experts believe the airstrike may have targeted fighters linked to the Lakurawa sect, a strict Sunni Islamist group that has expanded its influence across parts of north-western Nigeria since 2024. The group, which Nigeria designated a terrorist organization earlier this year, is reported to enforce harsh Islamist rules in rural communities and has been linked to cattle theft and cross-border smuggling along the Nigeria–Niger frontier.
Militants allied to IS have sought to establish a presence in two north-western states, while a separate IS-linked group has a stronghold in north-eastern Borno
Still, analysts have questioned the military impact of the strike, noting that Jabo was not previously known as a major militant base. Some warn that while airstrikes can disrupt armed groups, they are unlikely to resolve the deeper drivers of insecurity without sustained ground operations, governance reforms, and community engagement.
Rejecting the Persecution Narrative
Nigeria has been particularly sensitive to U.S. rhetoric suggesting Christians face systematic persecution. With a population of more than 230 million people, the country is roughly evenly divided between Christians, who are more concentrated in the south, and Muslims, who predominate in the north.
Officials say portraying Nigeria’s violence as primarily religious risks inflaming sectarian tensions and undermining fragile national cohesion. Instead, the government insists the conflict is rooted in insurgency, criminality, and weak state presence in remote areas, challenges that affect both Christians and Muslims.
As assessments of the airstrike continue, the episode underscores Nigeria’s balancing act: maintaining international security partnerships while pushing back against narratives it says misrepresent the nature of its internal conflicts.
