Following the Christmas Day strikes on terrorist sites in Sokoto State by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), American and Nigerian military authorities are still assessing the extent of damage inflicted on locations believed to house the Lakurawa terror group.
US President, Donald Trump, described the operation as “perfect strikes.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the strikes, carried out amid diplomatic tensions after Trump accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians, were “part of joint ongoing operations.”
Similarly, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the strikes targeted two major ISIS camps within the Bauni Forest in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State. He explained that the precision strikes were launched from maritime platforms in the Gulf of Guinea after extensive intelligence gathering, planning, and reconnaissance.
“A total of 16 GPS-guided munitions were deployed using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms, successfully neutralising the targeted ISIS elements who entered Nigeria through the Sahel corridor,” Idris said.
In an initial assessment on Saturday, Nigerian military sources told Sunday Vanguard that scores of terrorists were neutralised at the struck locations.
According to the sources, contrary to reports suggesting the strikes hit only farmlands and recorded no casualties, those farmlands were not the intended targets but were used as disposable areas for expended payloads.
Security experts, however, cautioned that it was too early to determine the full impact of the operation.
“Only a preliminary assessment may be available, given that the incident took place about 48 hours ago,” one expert said.
He explained that access to the bombed sites was limited because the areas were heavily mined by terrorists, adding that a clearer picture would emerge only after mine clearance operations.
He also noted that satellite imagery assessments could be delayed until dust from the strikes had settled.
Another expert referenced previous US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, noting that it took several days to ascertain the full extent of the damage.