U.S. Forces Carried Out Strikes In Sokoto State: President Trump said he ordered strikes on ISIS-linked camps in northwest Nigeria, which U.S. and Nigerian officials say killed multiple militants. Nigerian authorities reported Tomahawk missiles and 16 GPS-guided munitions from Reaper drones struck two camps in the Bauni forest between 12:12 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., with debris falling in nearby towns and no reported civilian casualties. Officials say the operation was coordinated with President Tinubu; analysts caution that focusing only on attacks against Christians oversimplifies Nigeria's complex security challenges.
U.S. Says It Struck ISIS-Linked Camps In Northwest Nigeria After Trump-Ordered Christmas Operation
Nigeria police, Anti-Bomb squad, secure the scene of a U.S. airstrike in Northwest, Jabo, Nigeria, Friday, Dec. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/ Tunde Omolehin) - Tunde Omolehin/AP
President Donald Trump announced he ordered a "powerful and deadly" strike against Islamic State-linked militants in northwest Nigeria, saying the operation targeted fighters he accused of persecuting Christians. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed strikes in Sokoto state and said the operation was conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
What Officials Say
AFRICOM's initial assessment reported that "multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps," and a U.S. official told CNN the strikes included Tomahawk missiles fired from a Navy vessel that hit two camps. Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris said the strikes struck two major enclaves in the Bauni forest of the Tangaza area and described them as assembly and staging grounds for planning large-scale attacks.
Weapons, Timing and Impact
Idris said 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were launched using Reaper drones. He placed the operation between 12:12 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. local time and reported that debris from expended munitions fell in Jabo (Sokoto State) and Offa (Kwara State) near a hotel, but that no civilian casualties had been reported.
Trump: "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."
Coordination And Political Context
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told CNN that President Bola Tinubu approved the operation after consultations with U.S. officials. Tuggar emphasized the campaign is intended to protect civilians across religious lines, saying the focus is on stopping terrorists who target Nigerians — Muslim, Christian or otherwise.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media that there was "more to come," thanking Nigerian authorities for their cooperation. Trump said he delayed the strikes by a day so they would fall on Christmas.
Analysts' View And Local Dynamics
Security analysts have suggested the operation may have targeted Lakurawa, a group active in northwest Nigeria that Nigeria designated a terrorist organization earlier this year. Experts note the region's violence is a complex mix of criminal banditry, communal conflicts and growing links between bandits and Islamist militants — producing a hybrid crime-terrorism threat.
Oluwole Ojewale, a Dakar-based security analyst, warned that framing the violence solely as attacks on Christians oversimplifies the situation and could deepen religious and political fault lines within Nigeria. Sokoto State, where the strikes took place, has a population of about 4 million people, the majority of whom are Muslim.
Background And Broader Implications
The strikes come amid sustained U.S. attention to the security of Nigerian Christians and broader concerns about Islamist extremism in the Sahel and West Africa. Trump and some U.S. conservatives have repeatedly raised the plight of Christians in Nigeria; critics say such messaging risks overlooking the more complicated drivers of violence in the country.
This report was updated with additional details. CNN contributors to the story included Aleena Fayaz and Zain Asher.
