According to BBC. The US has launched strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State group (IS) in north-western Nigeria, where militants have sought to establish a foothold.
Camps run by the group in Sokoto state were hit near the
border with Niger, the US military said. Casualty numbers are unclear, but both
US and Nigerian officials say militants were killed.
US President Donald Trump said the Christmas Day strikes had
been "deadly" and labelled the group "terrorist scum",
saying they had been "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent
Christians".
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC
it was a "joint operation" and had "nothing to do with a
particular religion".
Tuggar said the strikes had been planned "for quite
some time" using intelligence provided by Nigeria. He also did not rule
out further strikes.
Referencing the timing of strikes - which took place late on
Thursday - he said they did not have "anything to do with Christmas".
The Nigerian government has long been fighting an array of
jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and IS-linked factions, but largely in
the north-east. But in recent years a smaller group - known locally as Lakurawa
- has sought to establish a base in north-western Sokoto state.
On Friday morning, the Nigerian foreign ministry said
authorities were engaged in "security co-operation with international
partners", including the US. "This has led to precision hits on
terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the north-west," it said.
The US military said an "initial assessment"
suggested "multiple" fatalities in Sokoto state.
The chairman of the Tangaza local government area, Isa
Salihu Bashir, told the BBC the strikes had "hit some Lakurawa terrorist
camps". He said many fighters had been killed but could not confirm the
death toll.
Bashir added that border patrols on the Niger side reported
seeing Lakurawa fighters fleeing the targeted areas.
A separate strike on Thursday hit a field in the town of
Jabo, further south in Sokoto, but there were no reports of casualties.
"Something that looked like a plane flashed and crashed... in
fields," eyewitness Umar Jabo told the BBC.
He said there was no issue with IS in the area: "Here
in Jabo, we live peacefully, and there is no conflict between us and
Christians."
The Trump administration has previously accused the Nigerian
government of failing to protect Christians from jihadist attacks and has
claimed a "genocide" is being perpetrated.
Trump has labelled Nigeria a "country of particular
concern", a designation used by the US state department that provides for
sanctions against countries "engaged in severe violations of religious
freedom".
