US drones struck two ISIS-linked camps in Nigeria

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — An MQ-9 Reaper drone parks on the flightline at March Air Reserve Base, California, Aug. 5, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Julianne M. Showalter via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service - DVIDS)

By Ben Ezeamalu and Camillus Eboh

LAGOS, Dec 27  -  U.S.-backed air strikes in Nigeria hit two Islamic State-linked camps in the Bauni forest of Sokoto State, targeting foreign fighters infiltrating from the Sahel, the Nigerian government said.

The strikes carried out on Thursday were approved by President Bola Tinubu and launched from maritime platforms domiciled in the Gulf of Guinea, after extensive intelligence gathering, operational planning, and reconnaissance, the information ministry said in a statement on Friday.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Thursday that U.S. forces had launched a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government. He said the group had been targeting Christians in the region.

"A total of 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were deployed using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms, successfully neutralising the targeted ISIS elements attempting to penetrate Nigeria from the Sahel corridor," the Nigerian government statement said.

Intelligence indicated the camps were being used by foreign ISIS elements working with local affiliates to plan large-scale attacks inside Nigeria, it added. No civilian casualties were reported, although debris fell in two towns in Sokoto and Kwara states.

Trump described the operation as “numerous perfect strikes” and warned there would be “more to come.” 

The operation marks a rare joint action between Abuja and Washington and underscores growing security cooperation as Islamist violence spreads south from the Sahel.

Sokoto State authorities confirmed the strikes and urged residents to remain calm. “The ongoing operations are geared towards securing the state and ensuring the protection of lives and property,” the state government said.

Nigeria has battled Islamist insurgents for more than a decade, but the presence of foreign fighters linked to ISIS signals an escalation in the threat. The Nigerian government said it remains “fully committed to the protection of lives and property” and vowed further action against transnational extremist networks.

 (Reporting by Camillus Eboh, Writing by Ben Ezeamalu; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan // REUTERS)