Video footage of United States airstrikes carried out in Sokoto State has provided visual confirmation that several terrorists were killed, with their hideouts and vehicles destroyed during the operation conducted on December 25.
The footage, which has not yet been officially declassified by the military but was seen by our correspondent on Saturday, captured three separate airstrikes on terrorist enclaves between December 24 and 25, 2025.
A secondary blast was recorded shortly after the first strike, an indication that explosive materials were present at the target location. The video also showed suspected terrorists attempting to flee the area following the initial bombardment.
Those fleeing were subsequently engaged, while multiple vehicles were seen destroyed during the strikes. However, the precise number of casualties or the extent of equipment losses could not be independently determined from the footage.
Military sources explained that a detailed battle damage assessment was necessary to establish the full outcome of the operation.
Earlier, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Michael Onoja, confirmed that such an assessment was ongoing and assured that the findings would be made public upon completion.
Speaking while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja on December 31, 2025, Onoja said, “On the United States strikes in conjunction with Nigerian forces, there is a process of battle damage assessment. We are still in that process, and I can assure you that once that is completed, we will communicate to the public all our observations. In due course, we will give you all the information that you require from the U.S.–Nigeria strikes.”
When asked whether terrorists were present at the locations targeted during the operation, Onoja said intelligence reports had confirmed their presence prior to the strikes.
The United States President, Donald Trump, had earlier announced on Christmas Day that American forces carried out lethal strikes against Islamic State targets in north-western Nigeria.
The Federal Government later confirmed the operation, describing it as part of ongoing counterterrorism collaboration between Nigeria and the United States. Despite this, some critics have argued that the operation yielded no tangible results.
(PUNCH)
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