According to that earlier account, the agreement would allow only unmanned aircraft to be used for kinetic operations, explicitly excluding American fighter jets or bombers. These reports follow an earlier claim—also originating from a source cited by Philip—that the United States is preparing to conduct UAV strikes inside Nigeria under a new but undisclosed security arrangement. In a series of posts on X, Philip said a manned U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft on Saturday flew over Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) strongholds near the southwestern shores of Lake Chad in Borno State.
All told, Trump should opt against military action in Nigeria. The Niger operation began as a logistical support mission for French aircraft but within a couple of years, the United States had 1,000 troops there fighting terrorists directly. Direct U.S. military action in Nigeria is unlikely to be any more effective than Nigeria’s own efforts. War against terrorists in Nigeria, then, would be a waste of U.S. military assets, and might increase threats to U.S. forces.
- Pressure is building for action and important meetings underway.
- Following the designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” by Donald Trump over alleged genocide against Christians, the Nigerian government rejected the label and subsequently sent a delegation to the US.
- The government has recently deployed security forces to deal with the issue.
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, in Washington for high-level talks on terrorist threats and rising attacks on Christian communities.
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This will help determine what subsequent steps to be taken by the US government. The brief for these teams is to reconnoiter and gather enough intelligence on the targeted areas to enable precision drone strikes. In anticipation of the Congressional approval, as is standard US military practice, advance teams of operatives may have been inserted into Nigeria to ‘’case the joint’’ in military parlance. What Intelligence and Military analysts believe will happen are targeted drone strikes at Terrorists camps and their infrastructure.
US Spy Plane Conducts Reconnaissance Over Borno To Monitor ISWAP Under Nigeria Military Deal, Expert Says
As part of that support, Kainji Air Base in Niger State—home to Nigeria’s A-29 Super Tucanos—was described as a possible launch site for U.S. operations, though no official confirmation exists. The unnamed source also said the U.S. military’s primary role would be closing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance gaps for Nigerian forces, using both manned and unmanned platforms. By Sunday, Philip reported the same aircraft had returned for a third straight day, circling repeatedly over ISWAP’s “Mantiqah Krinwa,” a notorious enclave on the fringes of Lake Chad. ISR aircraft was conducting reconnaissance earlier today over ISWAP territory,” he wrote—an update that fueled intense debate online.
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- A renewed U.S. fight against Nigerian terrorists today is likely to fail and also do little to protect Christians there.
- President Trump is likely to throw in the possibility of ‘’regime change’’ to force the Tinubu administration to the negotiating table wherein the Americans would up the ante and seek economic concessions on mineral extraction rights among others.
- Lengthy talks between US negotiators and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ended without a breakthrough on a potential deal to end the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin aide said.
- Violence against Christians and Muslims in Nigeria is tragic, but the United States has no strategic interests in going after terrorists there.
He added that the aircraft had taken off from Accra, Ghana. Sign up to receive a daily email of today’s top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world. Drop the big talk and find ways other than military force, like diplomacy and economic engagement, to pursue U.S. interests abroad. Concerns about neocolonialism have already led countries across Africa to turn away from the West toward Russia and China — a trend that unilateral force in Nigeria would only exacerbate. Today, it’s dropped all that and is now thriving in Africa through almost exclusively economic, not military, means.
In a publication on its war website, the United States provided details of the meeting. “Confirming my earlier reports, a manned US ISR aircraft was conducting reconnaissance earlier today over ISWAP territory in southwestern Lake Chad, Borno State, northeast Nigeria, it originally took off from Accra, Ghana and is currently on its way back,” he wrote on X. Meanwhile, Nigeria continues to confront a surge in kidnappings, extremist attacks and banditry, intensifying public anxiety as questions grow over the scale of foreign military involvement unfolding beyond public view. Department of Defence—referred to in his posts as the “Department of War”—has already started reconnaissance missions from American military facilities in Ghana, flying into Nigerian airspace without any public disclosure by Abuja.
On Sunday afternoon, he wrote again that the United States ISR aircraft had returned to spy over ISWAP’s Mantiqah Krinwa. “The American counterpart will mainly fill the ISR gaps of the Nigerian army with manned and/or unmanned aircrafts, and will likely (still unconfirmed) use the Kainji Air Base in Niger State as a launchpad.” He stated on Saturday that a United States aircraft carried out an operation in Borno State, noting that the aircraft took off from Accra, Ghana. Despite the mounting speculation, both the Nigerian and U.S. governments have remained silent—neither confirming nor denying that American ISR flights or drone-strike preparations are underway. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, in Washington for high-level talks on terrorist threats and rising attacks on Christian communities. Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad accused Philip of recklessly sharing sensitive operational details that could aid ISWAP fighters.
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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The United States will restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians in the West African country, the U.S. As of the time of this report, aside from Brant’s posts, neither the Nigerian government nor the United States had issued any official statement confirming a US military operation on Nigerian soil. “Both leaders discussed ways to make tangible progress on stopping violence against Christians in Nigeria and combatting West African jihadist terrorist groups.” “On Nov. 20, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth welcomed a delegation of security leaders from the Federal Republic of Nigeria led by their National Security Advisor, Mr. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to the Pentagon,” the statement said.
From what is known about American military operations of this nature, the targeted drone strikes on terrorist camps in Nigeria will likely be coordinated by satellite guidance as well ground technical intelligence from agents already infiltrated into the country. “The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and violence against Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and beyond,” U.S. Trump’s threat of military action has been widely rejected by the Nigerian Presidency and has sparked controversy across the country. “Secretary Hegseth emphasized the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians and conveyed the Department’s desire to work by, with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States,” it added.
Following the designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” by Donald Trump over alleged genocide against Christians, the Nigerian government rejected the label and subsequently sent a delegation to the US. Reacting to his posts, former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad condemned the disclosures and accused Brant of revealing sensitive information to ISWAP. “The US Air Force ISR aircraft returned for the third day in a row to spy over carruth ISWAP’s “Mantiqah Krinwa” in Borno state on the fringes of Lake Chad, northeast Nigeria, the aircraft is currently circling over the area and took off from Accra, Ghana, as usual,” he said.
If President Trump goes ahead and initiate military action on Nigeria, before long there will likely be negative reactions in America. In addition to helping to guide home the strikes, they will also be expected to provide situational assessment on the impact of the strikes on both the terrorists and the people of the targeted areas. He further stated that ‘’the US government is going after the Terrorists who have for quite some time now wreaked havoc on innocent Nigerian people having watched with dismay the carnage and humanitarian crises the terrorists have inflicted on Nigeria resulting in hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Titled ‘’Nigeria Religious Freedom Protection and Counter-Terrorism Act of 2025’’, this measure effectively puts Nigeria in the crosshairs of potential US military action in the not distant future. The government has recently deployed security forces to deal with the issue. After Trump’s statements, Fox News aired multiple segments discussing potential U.S. action and the reported persecution of Christians in the country.
Why did Tinubu wait for Trump’s insults before acting?
Pressure is building for action and important meetings underway. He often blusters in public to try to get what he wants. But the long suffering Nigerian people must be spared a tragedy of monumental proportions on top of the trauma of insecurity they are now facing, which is hardly of their own making but of the total abdication of responsibility by their leaders. Before they reap the unintended consequences of their contemplated military interventions in Nigeria, President Trump would do well to change tactics.
The move follows the designation of Nigeria by the U.S. as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act last month. He added that the policy would apply to other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom, and that the restrictions are in line with a new policy under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The attacks on the community are part of a longstanding and extremely complex security crisis in Nigeria — a nation recently singled out by U.S. SaharaReporters.com is an outstanding, groundbreaking news website that encourages citizen journalists to report ongoing corruption and government malfeasance in Africa. Kidnapping for ransom, killings, and banditry continue to occur daily, leaving Nigerians to grapple with the widespread insecurity.
The Americans would also likely seek to establish a military base in Nigeria in effect, to counter the growing presence of its strategic rival, China in the country. As the Act says, the US bombing strike being put together by American military planners is couched as a humanitarian action to allow for religious freedom now allegedly being denied adherents of the Christian faith by Islamist jihadists in Nigeria. ‘’ The US is not at war with the Nigerian government and people’’ Steve McDale a Washington D.C based analyst told me. Lengthy talks between US negotiators and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ended without a breakthrough on a potential deal to end the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin aide said. CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon was at Simon Bolivar Intl Airport in Venezuela when US deportation flights landed, despite President Trump declaring the country’s airspace should be considered closed. The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas members, alleging the militant group violated the ceasefire agreement injuring five soldiers.
Has President Trump and his Gung-Ho team of belligerents thought about the possibility of a massive pushback in America and the world which will consider his action as a dangerous violation of the International order? Can the Americans cope with the possible widespread panic and pandemonium that will follow the strikes? Without squaring the circle on these factors, the Americans would be figuratively walking through a blind alley even with their massive military capabilities and advantages in Nigeria. Although the American Congress may have approved the intervention, that does not mean that the American people will agree with the course of action being contemplated on Nigeria.
Likewise, in Somalia, where the U.S. has invested heavily in air and ground operations since 2017, the picture looks a lot like Nigeria — every surge of success is soon followed by a resurgence in terrorist strength. Despite robust U.S. military operations in the region, deaths from terrorism increased 2,000% between 2007 and 2022. A renewed U.S. fight against Nigerian terrorists today is likely to fail and also do little to protect Christians there. U.S. counterterrorism policy tends to fuel anti-Americanism that both aids terrorist recruitment (e.g. al-Shabab in Somalia) and sometimes threatens U.S. military personnel directly. According to standard threat measures used by the U.S. government, that makes both groups local insurgencies, not global-reach terrorist organizations that threaten U.S. citizens.
In this wise I recommend that they lean heavily on the Tinubu government and diplomatically compel them to agree to a collaborative effort in tackling the current existential security issues facing the country. Have the Americans for that matter factored in that the strikes may likely trigger violence all over the country and even beyond in West Africa and Africa? Questions like how would the drone strikes pin point and differentiate where the terrorists are camped and their supply chains as against dwellings of innocent folks?
Last month, Trump also said he has ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following the claims of Christian persecution. Before the meeting, the US President had threatened to carry out a military operation in Nigeria to wipe out those he described as “Islamic terrorists”. A security expert, tracker, and a jihadi expert with special focus on the Sahel, Brant Philip, has claimed that the United States has begun conducting operations inside Nigeria as part of an agreement with the Nigerian government aimed at tackling escalating terrorism.
Kinetic strikes sometimes bring immediate successes, but long-term gains are fleeting. Last year, for instance, American troops in Niger were left stranded, short on supplies and reinforcement, after the government there cut off outside access to their bases. The use of force against African terrorist groups generally doesn’t work, as Nigeria and Somalia both show, and the dangers of escalation are high. U.S. airstrikes and a ground incursion are reportedly now on the table.