United States airstrikes targeting Islamic State terrorists in northwestern Nigeria on Thursday marked a significant escalation in a long-running conflict that Nigeria’s overstretched military has struggled to contain for years. The strikes drew international attention to a security crisis that continues to affect large parts of Africa’s most populous country.

US President Donald Trump said on social media that the “powerful and deadly” strikes were carried out against Islamic State terrorists who were “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.” However, residents and security analysts have said Nigeria’s security crisis affects both Christians, who are predominant in the south, and Muslims, who form the majority in the north.

How did Nigeria respond to the US strikes?

Nigeria, which is battling multiple armed groups across different regions, said the US airstrikes were part of an exchange of intelligence and strategic coordination between the two countries. Officials did not provide details on the exact targets or the damage caused.

The Associated Press could not confirm the extent of the strikes’ impact. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, reacting to the operation in a post on X, said: “More to come...”

Which militant groups are active in Nigeria?

The armed groups operating in Nigeria include at least two affiliated with the Islamic State. One is the Islamic State West Africa Province, an offshoot of the Boko Haram extremist group that is active mainly in the northeast. The other is the lesser-known Islamic State Sahel Province, known locally as Lakurawa, which is prominent in the northwest.

Although officials did not specify which group was targeted, security analysts said that if the strikes were indeed against Islamic State militants, they were likely aimed at Lakurawa fighters. The group has become increasingly lethal in border states such as Sokoto and Kebbi over the past year, often attacking remote communities and security forces.

Who is Lakurawa and how did the group emerge?

The Nigerian military has previously said Lakurawa has roots in neighbouring Niger and became more active in Nigeria’s border communities following a 2023 military coup in Niger. That coup fractured relations between Nigeria and Niger and disrupted their multinational military operations along the porous border.

Multiple analysts have said Lakurawa has been active in northwestern Nigeria since around 2017, when it was invited by traditional authorities in Sokoto to protect communities from bandit groups.

However, the militants later turned against those communities. “Overstayed their welcome, clashing with some of the community leaders and enforcing a harsh interpretation of sharia law that alienated much of the rural population,” said James Barnett, an Africa researcher with the Washington-based Hudson Institute.

Why are local communities turning against the group?

According to Malik Samuel, a Nigerian security researcher with Good Governance Africa, public opinion has shifted sharply. “Communities now openly say that Lakurawa are more oppressive and dangerous than the bandits they claim to protect them from,” he said.

Samuel added that Lakurawa controls territories in Sokoto and Kebbi states and has become known for killings, kidnapping, rape and armed robbery.

Is Lakurawa the only threat in the region?

Some attacks blamed on Lakurawa have also been linked to the Islamic State Sahel Province, which has expanded from Niger’s Dosso region into northwestern Nigeria, according to the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

“ISSP has maintained a low profile, operating covertly to infiltrate and entrench itself along the Niger-Nigeria border, and is now also expanding its operations toward the Beninese border,” the project said in a recent report.

Is this mainly a military problem?

Analysts argue that Nigeria’s security crisis is driven more by governance failures than by a lack of military action. Motives for attacks vary, but gangs are often fuelled by the near absence of state authority and security presence in conflict hotspots. This makes recruitment easier in areas marked by poverty, hunger and unemployment.

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence Christopher Musa previously said, in his role as defence chief, that military action accounts for only 30 percent of what is needed to resolve the crisis, while the remaining 70 percent depends on good governance.

“The absence of the state in remote communities is making it easy for non-state actors to come in and present themselves to the people as the best alternative government,” Samuel said.

What impact could the US strikes have?

Thursday’s US airstrikes were seen as crucial support for Nigeria’s security forces, which are often overstretched and outgunned as they confront multiple security threats nationwide.

In states such as Sokoto, the military frequently carries out airstrikes on militant hideouts, and Nigeria has begun mass recruitment of security personnel. However, analysts say such operations are rarely sustained.

Militants often move quickly on motorcycles through vast forests linking several northern states. They also use hostages, including schoolchildren, as shields, making airstrikes more difficult and limiting the effectiveness of military action alone.
AP inputs