Image Source: France24
Africa – American airstrikes targeting insurgent groups in Nigeria’s Sokoto State have left residents of the northwest region shaken, with many questioning whether the intervention has achieved anything meaningful.
The strikes, which took place around Christmas Eve 2025, marked the first time many people in the region had experienced aerial bombardment, a stark contrast to the northeast, where conflict has raged for years.
The attacks were directed at the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a splinter group of Boko Haram believed to be operating in the Tangaza local government area of Sokoto State.
While the Nigerian federal government confirmed awareness of and cooperation with the strikes, questions about precision and purpose have continued to mount in the weeks since.
Nigeria-based journalist Imam Nma Shuaib described the mood on the ground as deeply conflicted. Residents had expected any American intervention to focus on the northeast, making the northwest strikes both unexpected and unsettling.
Reactions have ranged from cautious optimism to outright scepticism, with many drawing comparisons to previous U.S. military campaigns abroad.
“It is a mixed feeling of hope and fear. Some people think this will bring the end to banditry, this will bring the end to Boko Haram, this will bring the end to all forms of insurgency ravaging the region.”
“However, some people also have some negative thoughts or fears that the air strike in northwest Nigeria will not be different from an air strike or invasion in other parts of the world, like we have seen in Iraq, as we have seen in Somalia.”
Missed Targets, Missed Opportunities
Two months on, the violence has not let up. Kidnappings have persisted, and the militant threat has shown no signs of retreat, raising serious doubts about the quality of intelligence shared between Nigerian and American forces.
“The air strike is not actually, like, focused or targeted precisely. It was just some sort of haphazard, you know, air strike — the kidnappings continue, the strikes continue, and we have not seen much difference.”
