US General Reveals Two Key Targets in Christmas Airstrikes on Nigeria

The United States has provided new details about its Christmas Day airstrikes in northwestern Nigeria, confirming that the operation targeted not only local militant groups but also Islamic State-affiliated fighters operating from the Sahel region.

Lieutenant General John Brennan, deputy commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), shared the clarification during a US–Nigeria security meeting last week. Brennan said the strikes focused on two main objectives: eliminating ISIS-linked fighters using the area as a staging ground and disrupting broader terrorist operations extending across the Sahel, including from neighbouring Niger.

“The targets were areas that all terrorist groups from the Sahel use as a staging area. The most recent information we received from the Nigerians was it was ISIS Sahel related,” Brennan said.

The airstrikes, carried out on December 25 in Sokoto State, marked the first direct US military action in Nigeria since President Donald Trump returned to office. Trump had previously described the strikes as “powerful and deadly” measures against Islamic State militants, citing repeated attacks on Christians in Nigeria as justification.

In a post on Truth Social following the operation, Trump emphasized that US forces acted in response to ongoing violence against Christian communities, framing the strikes as a warning to militants. The Department of Defense confirmed that multiple ISIS fighters were killed during the operation, conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, but withheld further operational details. AFRICOM later posted on X that the airstrikes successfully targeted terrorist locations in Sokoto.

Security analysts have expressed concern about the increasing mobility of ISIS fighters from the Sahel into West African countries such as Nigeria, highlighting the potential for regional destabilization. Brennan’s remarks underscore the US military’s intent to disrupt these networks before they expand further.

Reports of civilian casualties from the strikes have raised public concern, though official sources have not confirmed specific numbers. The operation comes after months of criticism from Trump, who accused Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christians and warned of an “existential threat” to these communities.

The revelation of two major targets in the Christmas airstrikes provides a clearer picture of the US strategy in Nigeria: striking ISIS-affiliated fighters while supporting local security efforts against broader terrorist activity in the region.