By Ebi Kesiena
Nigeria has indicated that further joint security operations with the United States may be carried out following recent airstrikes targeting militant groups in the country’s northern region.
The Federal Government said the latest strikes, carried out by U.S. forces, were part of ongoing cooperation aimed at degrading jihadist and armed group activities, as Nigeria continues to battle multiple, interconnected security threats across its northern states.
The country has faced a prolonged insurgency in the northeast since 2009, alongside escalating attacks by armed bandit groups in the northwest, including village raids, mass abductions and killings.
The renewed security coordination comes after diplomatic tensions between Abuja and Washington, sparked by comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump alleging mass killings of Christians in Nigeria. While the Nigerian government and independent analysts have rejected the framing of the violence as religious persecution, the issue has nonetheless contributed to closer engagement between both countries on security matters.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, disclosed that the intelligence used for the recent operation was provided by Nigerian authorities. He noted that he was in direct communication with the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, ahead of the strikes.
Asked whether additional military actions were expected, Tuggar said the collaboration remains ongoing. “It is an ongoing thing, and we are working with the United States. We are also working with other countries,” he stated.
He added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu authorised the operation, stressing that “it must be made clear that it is a joint operation,” reflecting Nigeria’s leadership role in the engagement.
The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed that “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed during an airstrike conducted in Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria, although it did not specify which armed faction was targeted among the numerous groups operating in the region.
While jihadist organisations remain largely concentrated in northeastern Nigeria, security analysts note that their influence and operational reach have increasingly extended into parts of the northwest, compounding the country’s already complex security challenges.
