US launches attack against Islamic State in Nigeria

President Donald Trump said the United States had launched a “powerful and deadly” offensive against militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group in northwestern Nigeria.

President Trump told Politico that he ordered the Dec. 25 airstrike as a “Christmas present,” which contradicts statements from Nigerian officials.

The US military said a camp run by the group in Sokoto state was attacked near the Niger border. The number of casualties is unknown, but U.S. and Nigerian officials both say militants were killed.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tugaa told the BBC it was a “joint operation” and “has nothing to do with any particular religion”.

Tagger said the attack had been planned “for quite some time” using information provided by Nigeria. He also did not rule out the possibility of further strikes.

Asked about the timing of the strike late Thursday, he said it had “nothing to do with Christmas”.

But Trump said otherwise in an interview with Politico.

“They were going to do it sooner,” Trump said of the airstrike. “So I said, ‘No, I’ll give you a Christmas present.’

“They didn’t expect it to happen, but we hit them hard. Every camp was destroyed.”

The US military said “initial assessments” suggested “multiple” deaths in Sokoto state.

Isa Salihu Bashir, a local official in Sokoto state’s Tangaza district, told the BBC that the airstrikes “hit some Rakrawa terrorist camps.” He said many fighters had died, but the death toll was unknown.

The BBC has not been able to independently confirm the number of casualties.

Bashir added that border guards on the Niger side have reported seeing Laklawa fighters fleeing the target area.

Nigeria’s government has been battling an array of jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and IS-affiliated groups, for years, primarily in the northeast.

In recent years, however, a small group known locally as Laklawa has sought to establish a base in the northwestern state of Sokoto.

Nigerian authorities say the group has ties to jihadist networks in Mali and Niger. They added that its members have settled in border communities, recruited young people and imposed strict regulations.

Tangaza is made up of remote villages, where most of the residents are moderate Muslims.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Intelligence said in a statement late Friday that the “precision strike operation” was carried out with the “express approval” of President Bola Tinubu and “the full involvement of the Nigerian military.”

It also said fragments of munitions fell on two villages during the operation: Jabo village, also in Sokoto state, and Ofa village in Kwara state, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) to the south. No civilian casualties were reported at either location.

Jabo eyewitness Umar Jabo told the BBC: “Something like a plane flashed and crashed into a field.”

He said there was no problem with IS in the region: “We live in peace and there is no conflict with Christians.”

The Trump administration has previously accused Nigeria’s government of failing to protect Christians from jihadist attacks, alleging that “genocide” is being committed.

President Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” a category used by the U.S. State Department to impose sanctions on countries that commit “serious violations of religious freedom.”

U.S. forces were ordered to prepare to intervene in Nigeria in November.

In a social media post late on Christmas Day, President Trump confirmed the airstrike and said: “We will not allow extremist Islamic terrorism to spread.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he was “grateful for the support and cooperation of the Nigerian government.”

The Pentagon later posted a short video showing the missile being fired from the ship.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with a population of about 220 million people, split almost evenly between Christians and Muslims.

Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and IS-linked splinter groups have wreaked havoc in northeastern Nigeria for more than a decade, leaving thousands dead.

Most of the victims are Muslims, according to Accred, an organization that analyzes political violence around the world.

The airstrike is the second major U.S. intervention against IS in recent weeks.

The United States announced last week that it had carried out a “major offensive” against IS in Syria.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery struck more than 70 targets. Jordanian aircraft also participated.

These airstrikes were launched in retaliation for the killing of three Americans, two soldiers and a civilian interpreter, in an ambush.