Nigeria Signals More US-Backed Strikes After Christmas Day Airstrike, Confirms Intelligence Sharing

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Nigeria on Friday (December 26) indicated that further military strikes against jihadist groups could follow after US forces carried out a Christmas Day bombardment targeting militants in the country's north.

“It is an ongoing thing, and we are working with the US. We are working with other countries as well,” Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told Channels TV, AFP reported.

He added that the strikes would be an“ongoing process” involving other partners, without disclosing details.

'Nigeria provided the intelligence'

Tuggar said the operation was carried out with Nigeria's approval and intelligence support.

“It's Nigeria that provided the intelligence,” he said, adding that he was on the phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of the bombardment.

President Bola Tinubu, he said,“gave the go-ahead” for the strikes.

Foreign Ministry confirms US-Nigeria coordination

Nigeria's foreign ministry said the strike was conducted under ongoing security cooperation with Washington.

“This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West,” the ministry said in a post on X, citing intelligence sharing and strategic coordination.

Not a religious campaign

Nigeria pushed back strongly against claims that the operation was religiously motivated.

“It must be made clear that it is a joint operation, and it is not targeting any religion nor simply in the name of one religion or the other,” Tuggar said.

He stressed that Nigeria's counter-terrorism approach was not influenced by the faith of victims,“whether they are Muslims or Christians, and irrespective of what type of terrorism”.

Trump: 'There would be hell to pay'

US President Donald Trump framed the strikes as retaliation for violence against Christians.

“I had previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” Trump said on social media.

In a later post on Truth Social, he said the US had launched“a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria”.

US military confirms ISIS targets

The US Department of Defense's Africa Command said“multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed in an attack in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

A Pentagon video showed what appeared to be a nighttime missile launch from a US-flagged warship. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Nigeria for its cooperation, adding:“More to come...”

Diplomatic tensions over 'persecution' claims

The strikes come after a diplomatic dispute between Abuja and Washington. Trump has repeatedly warned that Christianity faces an“existential threat” in Nigeria, while US officials have framed the violence as Christian“persecution”.

Nigeria has rejected that characterisation, saying the conflicts are driven by complex security challenges rather than religion.

Which group was targeted?

It remains unclear which armed group was hit. While jihadist groups are concentrated mainly in Nigeria's northeast, they have expanded into the northwest.

Researchers cited by AFP say some members of Lakurawa, the main jihadist group in Sokoto state, have been linked to Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), active in Niger and Mali. Other analysts dispute those links, noting the term“Lakurawa” is loosely used for various armed fighters.

Some groups described as Lakurawa are also reported to have links to al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a rival of ISSP.

Fresh violence, Christmas appeal

The strike followed fresh violence elsewhere. Police said a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people and wounded 35 at a mosque in northeast Nigeria.

In a Christmas message earlier, President Tinubu called for peace,“especially between individuals of differing religious beliefs,” adding:“I stand committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence.”

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