The recent US airstrikes on Islamic State-linked militants in northwestern Nigeria mark a major escalation in a long-running conflict that Nigeria’s overstretched military has struggled to contain for years.
US President Donald Trump announced the strikes on social media, calling them “powerful and deadly” and saying they targeted Islamic State militants who were “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.” Security experts and local residents, however, say Nigeria’s security crisis affects both Christians in the south and Muslims, who form the majority in the north.
Nigeria’s government confirmed that the strikes were carried out as part of intelligence sharing and strategic coordination between Abuja and Washington. The exact impact of the strikes has not yet been independently confirmed. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added to the speculation with a brief post on X, saying, “More to come…”
Nigeria is battling several armed groups, including at least two linked to the Islamic State. One is the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an offshoot of Boko Haram that operates mainly in the northeast. The other is the lesser-known Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), locally known as Lakurawa, which has grown increasingly active in the northwest.
While officials have not named the exact group targeted, security analysts believe the strikes likely hit Lakurawa fighters. The group has become more violent over the past year in border states like Sokoto and Kebbi, frequently attacking remote villages and security forces.
The Nigerian military has previously said Lakurawa has roots in neighboring Niger and expanded its activities in Nigeria after the 2023 military coup in Niger. That coup strained relations between the two countries and disrupted joint military operations along their porous border.
Analysts say Lakurawa first appeared in northwest Nigeria around 2017, when traditional leaders in Sokoto reportedly invited the group to help defend communities against bandit gangs. Over time, the militants turned on local leaders and began enforcing a harsh version of Islamic law.
“They overstayed their welcome,” said James Barnett, an Africa researcher at the Hudson Institute. “They clashed with community leaders and enforced a brutal interpretation of sharia law that alienated much of the rural population.”
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According to Nigerian security researcher Malik Samuel of Good Governance Africa, communities now openly say Lakurawa is more dangerous and oppressive than the bandits they once claimed to protect them from. The group controls parts of Sokoto and Kebbi states and is linked to killings, kidnappings, rape, and armed robbery.
Some attacks blamed on Lakurawa are also believed to be carried out by the Islamic State Sahel Province, which has expanded from Niger’s Dosso region into northwestern Nigeria. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project says the group operates quietly, infiltrating border areas and slowly expanding toward the Benin border.
Experts say Nigeria’s security crisis is as much a governance failure as a military one. Armed groups thrive in areas where the state is largely absent, making recruitment easy. These regions also suffer from extreme poverty, hunger, and unemployment.
Nigeria’s Defence Minister Christopher Musa has previously said military action accounts for only 30% of what is needed to resolve the crisis, with the remaining 70% dependent on good governance.
“The absence of the state in remote communities allows non-state actors to present themselves as an alternative government,” Samuel said.
The US airstrikes are seen as crucial support for Nigeria’s security forces, which are stretched thin while battling multiple crises across the country. In states like Sokoto, the military frequently conducts air raids on militant hideouts and has launched large-scale recruitment drives.
However, analysts warn that such operations are often not sustained. Militants can quickly relocate on motorcycles, using vast forests that span several northern states. They also frequently use hostages, including schoolchildren, as human shields, making airstrikes especially challenging.
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