Just after Christmas, the skies over north-western Nigeria lit up — but not with celebration.
The United States confirmed it carried out airstrikes on camps linked to the Islamic State group.
This signalled a sharp escalation in a region militants are trying to turn into their next base.
The targets were in Sokoto state, near Nigeria’s border with Niger.
According to the US military, the strikes hit IS-linked camps and likely killed “multiple” fighters.
President Donald Trump called the operation “powerful and deadly,” branding the militants “terrorist scum” and accusing them of brutal attacks on civilians.
But Nigerian officials were quick to push back on any religious framing.
Airstrikes Spark Concern
Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC the strikes were a “joint operation” based on Nigerian intelligence.
“This has nothing to do with Christmas or religion,” he said. “It’s about stopping terrorists who have been killing Nigerians.”
He also hinted more strikes could follow.
Until now, Nigeria’s jihadist conflict has largely been concentrated in the northeast, where Boko Haram and IS splinter groups operate.
Sokoto is far from that frontline — which is exactly why this attack has raised eyebrows.
One local resident, Umar Jabo, said villagers initially thought a plane had crashed.
“We saw fire in the fields,” he recalled, while denying militants were present in his community.
The strikes come amid long-standing US criticism of Nigeria’s handling of extremist violence and growing concern that IS is expanding westward.
The message seems clear: new battlegrounds won’t be ignored.
But whether bombs alone can stop that spread remains the big, unanswered question.
