The Nigerian government has been combating jihadist groups for several years, including Boko Haram and its Islamic State-linked splinter groups.[7] The strikes targeted two ISIS offshoots: Islamic State – Sahel Province, better known by their former name, Lakurawa; and Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP).[1] ISWAP has killed tens of thousands of Nigerians in the past ten years.[8]
According to Nigeria's military, Lakurawa became more active on the Nigerian side of the border with Niger following the 2023 Niger coup, which impacted the countries' joint border operations.[1] Lakurawa had been formed in 2017 as an anti-bandit force initially being welcomed into villages; however, it became increasingly oppressive. It controls territories in Sokoto and Kebbi states.[1]
In October 2021, the United States Intelligence Community became aware that Boko Haram and a Nigerian bandit group discussed kidnapping operations and arms dealing in North-East Nigeria.[9][10] Boko Haram was reported to have sent specialized personnel, including bomb makers and military advisors, as well as military equipment to Kaduna State to train and equip their bandit groups' allies.[11][12]
In November 2025, the United States Africa Command drafted plans to strike at militant compounds in northern Nigeria.[13] At the same time Donald Trump threatened to cut off all foreign aid to Nigeria unless they took a stronger stance against ISIS and violence against Christians.[14] Just days prior an Islamist terrorist opened fire on a Catholic church killing 2, and shortly after 303 school-children and 12 teachers were kidnapped by ISIS-splinter groups in Papiri at a Catholic school.[15][16] This was already on the heels of another mass-abduction of 25 schoolgirls from another Catholic school in Kebbi state.[17] After this string of attacks the Trump administration began to seriously consider military action in Nigeria to end "Christian persecution" stating that Christians in Nigeria were facing an "existential threat".[18][19]
Nigerian information minister Mohammed Idris Malagi said that the operation took place on December 26, between 00:12 and 01:30 WAT, and targeted two prominent IS sites in the Bauni forest in Tangaza. Additionally, he said that 16 munitions were fired by MQ-9 Reaper drones at fighters attempting to infiltrate Nigeria from the Sahel. Malagi added that debris from munitions mistakenly hit Jabo and Offa, but caused no civilian casualties.[25] According to Isa Salihu Bashir, the chairman of Tangaza, strikes hit Lakurawa camps, killing many fighters and forcing others to flee.[26] In Jabo, Tambuwal, farmland was destroyed,[27][3][28] while in Offa, four buildings were damaged and five civilians were wounded.[29]
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the strikes were related to stopping the killings of Christians in Nigeria. Both Christians and Muslims are targeted by extremist groups in Nigeria.[30] Conversely, the Nigerian government stated that the strikes were not intended to protect any specific religions.[31]
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that said "precision hits" had been made and that the country's authorities remained "engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism".[32][33] The Nigerian Armed Forces said the strikes were jointly conducted with approval from the government, and came after "credible intelligence and careful operational planning" to minimize collateral damage.[34]
The United States' initial assessment suggested that the strikes resulted in multiple fatalities.[7]
Targets
According to the FDD, the missile strikes likely targeted camps of the Islamic State's Sahel Province (ISSP) in northwestern Nigeria, the main IS affiliate responsible for operations across the Sahel region, as opposed to the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP), the largest IS affiliate active in Nigeria, which is based in northeastern Nigeria. The FDD added that the attack target was indicative of the inroads that ISSP had made in Nigeria.[35]
A spokesperson for Nigerian president Bola Tinubu told Agence France-Presse that the strikes targeted IS, as well as Lakurawa and bandits, who he said that IS would supply and train through the Sahel. He noted that the strikes hit an area with a historic Lakurawa and bandit presence, and that US intelligence had detected an influx of IS fighters from the Sahel moving there.[2]
Analysis
When the strikes were originally proposed in November 2025, Judd Devermont, former U.S. president Joe Biden's national security advisor for African affairs, criticized the Trump administration stating that instability in Nigeria "will not be reversed overnight by an influx of U.S. resources".[14]
Nigeria's Minister of Defence Christopher Musa said that military intervention against Islamists will only solve 30% of the conflict, as the remaining 70% has to be resolved through good governance as the Nigerian government has little authority over its northern territory's rural villages. Regardless, the Associated Press noted that the strikes have provided "crucial help" for Nigeria's security forces which are "overstretched" and "outgunned".[1]
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Nigerian Armed Forces [3] 
