By Amah
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Scores of suspected terrorists are feared killed following reported U.S. airstrikes on Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) camps in Nigeria.
United States President Donald Trump announced that American forces carried out coordinated air operations against ISIS-linked targets in northwest Nigeria, describing the strikes as “powerful and deadly.” He said the operation targeted militants responsible for repeated attacks on Christian communities in the region.
In a statement posted Thursday on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the strikes followed earlier warnings issued to the extremists to halt the violence. According to him, the mission involved multiple precision air operations aimed at degrading the operational capacity of the terrorist groups.
Trump praised the U.S. military for what he described as a successful and decisive mission, reiterating that the United States would not allow extremist organisations to operate with impunity under his leadership.
The announcement, made on Christmas Day, was accompanied by strong rhetoric condemning terrorism and expressing support for the U.S. armed forces. However, no specific details were provided regarding casualty figures or the exact locations of the targets.
However, the Federal Government has confirmed that the country provided military intelligence for the airstrikes, Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, disclosed during an interview with Channels Television on Friday.
According to him, authorities in Nigeria spoke with the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, before the strike and when it went on.
He said Nigeria remained committed to working with all stakeholders, including America, in the efforts to combat terrorism, banditry, kidnappings and all other forms of criminality and stop the death of innocent Nigerians.
“It was Nigeria that provided intelligence for the US strike in Nigeria. We spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio twice: once 19 minutes before the strike and another time five minutes before it went on,” he said.
