The United States’ Christmas Day airstrikes in northwest Nigeria were directed at militants linked to an Islamic State affiliate operating mainly in neighbouring Niger, a senior US Africa Command official has confirmed.
Speaking to AFP on the sidelines of a recent US-Nigeria security meeting, Lieutenant General John Brennan said the areas struck were being used as staging grounds by terrorist groups operating across the Sahel.
He explained that intelligence shared by Nigerian authorities indicated the targets were connected to ISIS Sahel.
“The targets were areas that all terrorist groups from the Sahel use as a staging area. The most recent information we received from the Nigerians was it was ISIS Sahel related,” Brennan said, referring to the Islamic State Sahel Province.
Security analysts have in recent months expressed concern about the group’s expansion from the Sahel region into coastal West African countries, including Nigeria. The clarification from US officials follows public anxiety and reports suggesting that civilians may have been affected by the strikes.
United States President Donald Trump had earlier announced that US forces carried out what he described as “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day. His remarks followed earlier warnings to the group to halt attacks on Christians in the country.
The US Department of Defense confirmed that “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed in the operation, which it said was conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, though it released limited operational details.
According to Trump, the strikes were deliberately timed for Christmas Day.
“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,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“May God Bless our Military,” he added, saying, “MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
US Africa Command also confirmed the operation in a post on X, stating that the strike was carried out at Nigeria’s request in Sokoto State and resulted in the deaths of several ISIS fighters.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth similarly praised the operation, posting on X that he was “grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation,” and commending the readiness of US forces to act.
The Christmas Day operation marked the first known US military strike in Nigeria since Trump returned to office. It also followed months of strong rhetoric from the president, who had in October and November accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians, describing the situation as an “existential threat” and likening it to “genocide.”
What you should know
The US strikes in northwest Nigeria signal a growing concern in Washington over the spread of Islamic State-linked groups from the Sahel into West Africa.
The Islamic State Sahel Province has been largely active in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, but intelligence agencies fear it is seeking new footholds in Nigeria’s northwest. While Nigerian authorities requested the strike, questions remain around transparency, civilian safety, and the long-term strategy for counterterrorism cooperation.
The development also reflects how religious violence has become a recurring theme in US commentary on Nigeria’s security challenges.
