On the evening of Dec. 26, 2025, the United States carried out airstrikes in Sokoto State, north-west Nigeria, purportedly against Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) militants at the request of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Donald Trump described the action on social media as a 'powerful and deadly strike' against ISIS fighters in the region, asserting that militants had been 'targeting and brutally killing ... innocent Christians'.
Nigeria's authorities confirmed that the airstrikes were conducted in coordination with the US military, with the Foreign Ministry emphasising ongoing security cooperation to counter terrorism and violent extremism. Yet residents and local representatives in Jabo describe a village that has seen no ISIS presence and little of the sort of militant violence that might justify such strikes.
