AFRICOM hits Sokoto, Nigeria; 155+ militants killed, 200 US troops follow
Confidence: HIGH (80/100) | April 06, 2026 |
In one sentence: AFRICOM Tomahawk strikes on Sokoto State killed 155+ Lakurawa militants on Christmas 2025; 200 US troops have since deployed to Nigeria for training.
Why it matters: The strikes mark the first direct US combat action in Nigeria and signal AFRICOM's stated intent to be 'a lot more aggressive' kinetically across Africa under Trump's second term. Nigeria accepted a breach of its longstanding policy against foreign combat operations on its soil under US diplomatic and economic pressure. Lakurawa has intensified attacks on civilians since the strikes, and the entry of US forces into Africa's most populous nation carries strategic risks of sectarian blowback and protracted entanglement.
What Happened Today
- On Christmas night 2025, AFRICOM — at the direction of President Trump and in coordination with Nigerian authorities — struck two Islamic State-linked militant camps in Bauni Forest, Tangaza, Sokoto State, killing an estimated 155–200+ Lakurawa fighters, according to AFRICOM, the Nigerian Information Ministry, and The New Humanitarian.
- USS Paul Ignatius, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer positioned in the Gulf of Guinea, fired more than a dozen BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles at the targets between 00:12 and 01:30 WAT on 26 December 2025, Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi said.
- At least four warheads failed to detonate and fell short of their targets, landing in civilian areas including Jabo, Zugurma, and Offa; farmland was destroyed in Jabo and former state official Tajudeen Alabi told the BBC that 'about five structures' were destroyed in Offa with some injuries but no confirmed deaths.
- The Pentagon announced on 10 February 2026 a deployment of up to 200 US troops to Nigeria in a training and advisory role under Nigerian military command authority, following an initial advance team sent on 3 February 2026, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.
- AFRICOM Commander General Dagvin Anderson publicly stated after the Nigeria strikes that the United States intends to get 'a lot more aggressive' kinetically in Africa, with AFRICOM having since conducted at least 23 strikes against al-Shabaab and Islamic State in Somalia since 1 January 2026, according to The Africa Report.
Contested Claims
- AFRICOM Public Affairs; White House; Pentagon; Spokesperson for Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (AFP): The strikes targeted Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) terrorists and Lakurawa, which US officials describe as an ISSP-linked group that was planning large-scale attacks inside Nigeria. Institute for Security Studies (ISS); The New Humanitarian; Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa: Lakurawa is a jihadi-criminal group operationally linked to Boko Haram's JAS faction — a rival of Islamic State West Africa Province — and not an ISIS affiliate; the strikes also hit Jabo, a village with no documented terrorist presence or history of violent activity.
- White House statements; Pete Hegseth (Pentagon): US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump publicly stated the strikes were connected to stopping the killings of Christians in Nigeria, framing it as a 'Christian genocide'. Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Nigerian Minister of Defence Christopher Musa; Associated Press fact-check: Nigerian government officials and security experts stated the strikes had no religious motivation; claims of a systematic 'Christian genocide' have been thoroughly debunked by AP, BBC, and Nigerian authorities.
Unverified / Single Source
- (Unverified — single source; not independently corroborated) Lakurawa commander Dando Sibu survived the strikes by leaving the area five minutes before the second missile impacted. [The New Humanitarian]
- (Unverified — single source; not independently corroborated) Almost half of Lakurawa's cattle were killed in the strikes. [The New Humanitarian]
- (Unverified — analytical assessment from single think-tank; intent not independently confirmed) The US deliberately labelled the Lakurawa targets as Islamic State to fit a domestic political narrative linked to Trump's evangelical and conservative constituencies, rather than based on accurate intelligence. [Institute for Security Studies (ISS)]
Numbers
| Metric | Today | War Total |
|---|---|---|
| Lakurawa fighters killed in Dec 25–26 strikes | 155–200+ (including 19 who died of wounds) | — |
| Tomahawk missiles fired | 16 GPS-guided munitions (Nigerian govt) / over a dozen (US defense official to NYT) | — |
| US troops deployed to Nigeria post-strikes | Up to 200 (training/advisory role) | — |
| Strike sites impacted by errant munitions | 3 civilian locations: Jabo, Zugurma, Offa | — |
| Nigerians killed by jihadist groups (northeast, 2016–2025) | — | Tens of thousands |
| AFRICOM strikes in Somalia since 1 January 2026 | — | At least 23 |
| Sources: Pentagon; Reuters; Al Jazeera (February 2026), NYT, aggregating UN and Nigerian govt figures, The Africa Report, Nigerian Information Minister Malagi; BBC, Nigerian Information Minister Malagi; US Defense official via NYT, The New Humanitarian; Wikipedia aggregating wire reports |
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the US airstrikes in Nigeria hit the right targets? The strikes hit Lakurawa camps in Tangaza, Sokoto State, killing 155+ fighters per AFRICOM and The New Humanitarian. However, the ISS and other analysts say Lakurawa is not an Islamic State affiliate and that Jabo — also struck — had no documented terrorist presence, raising questions about intelligence accuracy.
Why did the US strike Nigeria on Christmas Day 2025? AFRICOM cited the need to disrupt violent extremist organizations. President Trump publicly linked the strike to stopping alleged killings of Christians. Nigerian authorities and experts dispute the 'Christian genocide' framing, saying jihadists in the region target all faiths indiscriminately.
Are US troops now based in Nigeria? Yes. The Pentagon confirmed deployment of up to 200 US troops to Nigeria by mid-February 2026 in a training and advisory capacity. They operate under Nigerian military command authority and have no stated combat role, per the Pentagon and Al Jazeera.
Has Lakurawa been weakened by the US strikes? The ISS reports that Lakurawa suffered losses of over 100 fighters in the strikes but has since intensified attacks on civilians, suggesting a temporary disruption without the sustained Nigerian ground operations needed to degrade the group effectively.
Background
Nigeria has battled jihadist insurgencies for over a decade, primarily in the northeast where Boko Haram and its Islamic State-linked splinter ISWAP operate. A separate, newer threat — Lakurawa — emerged in the northwest's Sokoto State around 2017 and has expanded amid the power vacuum created by the 2023 Niger coup, which disrupted joint border operations. The Christmas 2025 AFRICOM strikes were the first direct US combat action inside Nigeria and represent a shift in US Africa policy under Trump toward more aggressive kinetic operations.