U.S. Missile Attacks on Nigeria: Everything You Should Know About Trump’s Anti-Terror Operations on Christmas Day.
On Christmas Day, the United States carried out precision strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist camps in Sokoto State, northwest Nigeria, under President Trump’s order.
Trump emphasized in a Truth Social post that the operation, which was carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities and described by U.S. Africa Command as successful in killing multiple ISIS militants, was a direct response to the group’s targeting and killing of innocent Christians in the region. He called the militants “ISIS Terrorist Scum.”
Based on shared intelligence, Nigerian officials confirmed the combined operation, stressing that it was directed at foreign-linked forces rather than any religious group.
The long-term strategic impact, potential civilian risks in a conflict-prone region dominated by banditry and hybrid crime-terror threats (including groups like Lakurawa with varying ISIS ties), the veracity of intelligence linking violence primarily to Christian persecution, and whether this signals the beginning of increased U.S. involvement in Nigeria’s northwest security challenges are still unanswered questions.
On Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump was the first to make the strikes public. He wrote on Truth Social that he had ordered 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!”
Nigerians were originally deeply alarmed by the statement, with many individuals and social media commenters voicing concern over a possible unilateral infringement of national sovereignty.
The cooperative character of the operation was made clear by both nations a few hours later. The strikes were carried out “in coordination with Nigerian authorities,” according to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), while Nigerian officials, including Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar and Information Minister Mohammed Idris, stressed that President Bola Tinubu had given clear approval after consultations, including talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about sharing intelligence.
How were the strikes in Nigeria conducted?
According to Idris, the precision strikes were carried out with the “full involvement of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” under the direction of important defense and foreign affairs officials. The Nigerian military was actively involved in the endeavor. By portraying the move as focused counterterrorism collaboration rather than foreign intrusion, this cooperative framing helped reduce early tensions.
Washington claimed to have targeted terrorists associated with the Islamic State group, and the US Africa Command reported numerous losses without identifying specific targets among the various armed organizations active in Nigeria.
However, Nigeria claimed that two significant Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist enclaves in the Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto state’s Bauni forest were attacked.
The decision to attack northwest Sokoto state, where armed criminal gangs, or “bandits,” pose a greater threat than Islamists, who might not even have been affected by the bombings, was questioned by analysts.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister listed “activities of JNIM, of ISWAP as well as Lakurawa and Mahmuda,” citing a number of terrorist organizations and armed bandit gangs.The northeast of Nigeria is, in reality, the primary theater of the nation’s protracted Islamist insurgency.According to Victoria Ekhomu, an analyst and the leader of the Association of Industrial Security & Safety Operators of Nigeria, “if you’re going to strike, it shouldn’t be the least affected areas.”
The epicenter of Nigeria’s Islamic struggle, northeastern Borno state, would have been a more apparent target, she added.
Officials from the US and Nigeria, however, have stated that there will be more strikes.
According to Abuja, the US deployed guided missiles fired from massive Reaper drones stationed on “maritime platforms domiciled in the Gulf of Guinea.” Some weapons debris fell in nearby Kwara state, close to a hotel, and in Jabo hamlet of Tambuwal Local Government Area in Sokoto state.
Using an acronym for the Islamic State group, Information Minister Mohammed Idris said in a statement that “a total of 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were deployed using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms, successfully neutralizing the targeted ISIS elements attempting to penetrate Nigeria from the Sahel corridor.”
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