Army Confirms: Sokoto Strikes Hit Targets

The Nigerian Army has broken its silence on the high-stakes international military operation that unfolded in the Sahel over the Christmas holiday, providing a detailed confirmation of the U.S.-led airstrikes in Sokoto State. In a statement released on Monday, the military hierarchy dismissed claims of “wrong targets” and “wasted missiles,” asserting instead that the operation was a calculated success that decimated several high-value insurgent encampments.

The intervention, which involved the firing of at least twelve Tomahawk missiles by U.S. forces, was directed at the Lakurawa insurgent group. This relatively new but lethal faction has been terrorizing communities in the Tangaza Local Government Area. For days, a heated debate had raged among security analysts and local residents regarding the effectiveness of the strikes, with some skeptics suggesting the missiles had landed harmlessly in uninhabited open fields.

However, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, presented a different narrative backed by field intelligence. She revealed that the operation was the result of a sophisticated collaboration between the Nigerian Combat Intelligence Battalion VII and U.S. AFRICOM. The mission was triggered by credible intelligence tracking terrorist movements along the Kaurau axis, leading to a coordinated strike on Christmas Day.

The primary targets were located deep within the Bauni Forest, specifically near the villages of Waria and Alkassim. According to the Army, these locations served as strategic hubs for the Lakurawa group, providing them with cover to launch raids on nearby towns. Colonel Anele emphasized that the precision of the U.S. missiles allowed for the destruction of specialized camps without causing the widespread civilian collateral damage often feared in such operations.

To verify the impact, Nigerian ground troops conducted follow-up patrols throughout the day on December 26. These reconnaissance teams confirmed “extensive destruction” of the terrorist positions. The Army’s assessment suggests that the operational capability of the Lakurawa group has been significantly degraded, with their logistics and command structures in the Bauni Forest effectively neutralized.

The confirmation comes at a crucial time for the Federal Government, which has faced questions regarding the sovereignty and transparency of allowing foreign superpowers to conduct kinetic operations on Nigerian soil. By framing the event as a “coordinated success,” the Army is highlighting the benefits of international defense partnerships in tackling the evolving threat of insurgency in the North-West.

For the residents of Tangaza and surrounding areas, the military’s report provides a measure of psychological relief. The Lakurawa group had become a source of profound local anxiety, imposing illegal taxes and enforcing their own brand of justice. The sight of sophisticated international hardware being deployed against them sends a strong message that the region is no longer a safe haven for non-state actors.

As the smoke clears from the Bauni Forest, the Nigerian military has signaled that this is not a one-off event. The collaboration with AFRICOM appears to be part of a broader, more aggressive strategy to utilize global intelligence and long-range strike capabilities to supplement local ground efforts. The Army maintains that while the missiles provided the initial blow, the focus now shifts to “mop-up” operations to ensure the remnants of the group do not regroup.

Despite the official confirmation, the debate over the long-term impact of such strikes will likely continue. Critics argue that air power alone cannot solve the socio-economic issues that drive recruitment into groups like Lakurawa. However, for the military leadership in Abuja, the destruction of these camps is a necessary tactical win that disrupts the immediate threat and creates the space needed for further stabilization efforts.

The Nigerian Army’s detailed disclosure serves as a definitive answer to the skepticism that followed the Christmas night bombardment. By providing specific names of villages and forest axes, the military is betting on transparency to win the battle of public perception. For now, the “Lakurawa hideouts” are reported to be in ruins, marking a significant, if controversial, chapter in the nation’s ongoing war on terror.