In a significant shift in security strategy, the Nigerian government has announced it will take primary responsibility for conducting airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) affiliates within its borders, supported by U.S. reconnaissance and intelligence. The new arrangement follows American airstrikes in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto State on Christmas Day, which targeted ISIS-linked fighters.
Under the renewed security understanding between Abuja and Washington, U.S. surveillance flights will provide targeting data, while the Nigerian Air Force will execute subsequent strikes. American involvement will be largely confined to this intelligence-sharing role, though Nigerian officials remain open to further direct U.S. air support if necessary.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar articulated the nation’s position, stating, “We admit we have security challenges… So any country including the U.S. that is willing to partner with us to tackle those problems, we more than welcome it. But Nigeria and Nigerian security and Nigerian troops, Nigerian military has to be the one to take the lead.”
The December strikes, confirmed by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s administration, resulted in an unspecified number of terrorist casualties, according to officials from both countries.
The policy realignment in Nigeria coincides with a marked intensification of U.S. military activity in Somalia. United States Africa Command has confirmed multiple airstrikes targeting both ISIS and al-Shabaab militants near the Golis Mountain range in northern Somalia, actions coordinated with the Somali federal government. Officials state the objective is to degrade the groups’ ability to plan attacks against American interests.
Since the return of President Donald Trump to office in 2025, the U.S. has conducted over 100 airstrikes in Somalia—a number reportedly exceeding the totals from the Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations combined. Analysts observe a consistent strategy emerging across both theaters: limited kinetic strikes, heavy reliance on American intelligence assets, and a firm avoidance of long-term U.S. ground troop deployment.
Security experts note that while external airpower and intelligence can disrupt terrorist networks, achieving enduring stability in affected African regions will ultimately depend on the capacity of national forces, like Nigeria’s, to hold territory and maintain sustained offensive operations.
The evolving dynamics underscore a complex geopolitical calculus, where the U.S. seeks to neutralize transnational threats without entanglement in prolonged conflicts, while African nations assert greater agency in securing their own territories.