Nigeria Confirms Collaboration With US on Air Strikes Against ISIS in Sokoto
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the country collaborated with the United States on air strikes targeting ISIS terrorists in Sokoto State.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the federal government said the “precision hits” were carried out in line with Nigeria’s “structured security cooperation with international partners.”
“The Federal Government continues to work closely with its partners through established diplomatic and security channels to weaken terrorist networks, disrupt their financing and logistics, and prevent cross-border threats, while strengthening Nigeria’s own security institutions and intelligence capabilities,” Ebienfa said.
The confirmation followed an announcement late Thursday by US President Donald Trump, who described the strikes as “powerful and deadly.”
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) subsequently stated that the operation was conducted “at the request of Nigerian authorities.”
Ebienfa said casualty figures from the air strikes were yet to be made available, according to TheCable. He also noted that further strikes were likely, as “the terrorists continue to pose a threat to the nation’s security.”
The operation comes nearly two months after Trump threatened to move into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing to wipe out the terrorists killing our cherished Christians,” amid repeated claims by some US politicians that Christians were being targeted for genocide in the West African country.
It also follows reports, based on flight tracking data, that the United States had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November.
