Video footage and official accounts have confirmed that several terrorists were killed and their hideouts destroyed during United States airstrikes conducted in Sokoto State between December 24 and 25, 2025, as part of a joint counterterrorism operation with Nigerian forces, security sources and media reports indicate.
The footage, which has not yet been declassified by the military but was sighted by Sunday PUNCH, shows at least three separate strikes on suspected terrorist camps in the state’s north‑west, including secondary explosions that suggest the presence of stored explosive materials at the targeted locations.
In the video, movements of suspected fighters fleeing the bombardment are visible, and subsequent engagements appear to involve them as they retreat. Several vehicles believed to be linked to the militants were also seen destroyed in the aftermath of the strikes.
However, while the footage indicates significant damage to illicit infrastructure, the exact number of terrorists killed and the total count of destroyed vehicles cannot be independently verified from the video alone, according to military sources.
Nigeria’s Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, has said that a comprehensive battle damage assessment is ongoing to determine the full impact of the operation.
The strikes were first acknowledged publicly by the United States, following an announcement by President Donald Trump on Christmas Day that American forces had conducted lethal operations against Islamic State (ISIS)‑linked targets in north‑west Nigeria.
The Federal Government subsequently confirmed the operation and its coordination with Nigerian security agencies, describing it as part of continuing counterterrorism cooperation.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has emphasised that the precision airstrikes were carried out with intelligence provided by Nigerian authorities and underlined that the collaboration respects the country’s sovereignty and shared international security commitments.
Despite official confirmation of the joint operation, debates persist among analysts and local stakeholders about both the identification of the targeted groups and the broader strategic rationale behind the strikes.
Some local reports have questioned whether the areas struck were strongholds of established terrorist groups, or historically peaceful communities affected by banditry and other security challenges.
The Nigeria‑US military cooperation in Sokoto aligns with broader efforts to counter violent extremism and dislodge insurgent networks, which have been linked to militant factions operating along Nigeria’s Sahel border regions.
Authorities have not released a detailed public statement quantifying the casualties or listing the identities of the terrorists killed as of the time of publication, pending completion of the official assessment.
