Video: Nigeria approves US airstrikes on terrorists in northwest, FG confirms joint operation
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Nigerian government has officially greenlit U.S. airstrikes targeting terrorists in the country’s volatile northwestern region, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar announced Friday.
Video: Nigeria approves US airstrikes on terrorists in northwest, FG confirms joint operation
Speaking on Channels Television after the U.S. Department of Defense and President Donald Trump revealed the strikes, Tuggar confirmed that President Bola Tinubu personally authorised the operation.
He stressed its collaborative nature, quoting the president, “it must be made clear that it is a joint operation, and it is not targeting any religion nor simply in the name of one religion or the other.”
Tuggar further emphasised Nigeria’s multi-religious fabric amid criticisms that the strikes infringe on national sovereignty.
“We are a multi-religious country, and we are working with partners like the US to fight terrorism and safeguard the lives and properties of Nigerians,” he said.
The minister assured that the federal government would never endorse actions violating territorial integrity.
The strikes mark a rare direct U.S. military intervention in Nigeria’s fight against banditry and insurgency, potentially signaling deeper bilateral security ties.
