Nigeria on Friday indicated that additional military strikes against jihadist groups could follow the Christmas Day airstrikes carried out by U.S. forces in the country’s northwest, in what the government described as a joint operation with the Nigerian military.
The announcement comes as Nigeria continues to face multiple security challenges in the north, including the long-running insurgency by jihadist groups in the northeast and armed bandit attacks involving kidnappings and village raids in the northwest.
The U.S. strikes follow a diplomatic dispute between Abuja and Washington after President Donald Trump described the operations as “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State militants, framing them as targeting Christians.
The Nigerian government has rejected this characterization, noting the strikes were intelligence-driven and coordinated with Nigerian forces.
Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, who spoke in a televised interview said, “It’s Nigeria that provided the intelligence”, adding that he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio prior to the strikes.
When asked whether further strikes were expected, Tuggar said: “It is an ongoing thing, and we are working with the U.S. We are working with other countries as well”. He confirmed that President Bola Tinubu authorized the operations.
The foreign minister emphasized that the strikes are joint operations, not directed against any religion. “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.
Nigeria’s military stated that the operation targeted “identified foreign ISIS-linked elements” in northwest Nigeria, underscoring the country’s continued collaboration with international partners to address transnational terrorist threats.
About the Author
