‘How U.S. airstrikes stopped terrorists from Mali, Burkina Faso from attacking 4 North-West states’

Security sources have disclosed that terrorists who infiltrated Nigeria from Mali and Burkina Faso had planned coordinated attacks across four North-West states before being neutralised in a joint airstrikes operation involving the Nigerian military and that of United States .

Top military officials confirmed that the precision strikes carried out by U.S. forces against identified terrorist locations in North-West Nigeria were conducted in close coordination with Nigerian authorities and successfully met their objectives.

“It was a successful joint operation with the U.S. military. We provided the targets, they conducted the strikes. Right now we are mopping up,” a source told Vanguard.

According to the sources, intelligence gathered ahead of the operation revealed what was described as a “massive convergence” of armed terrorists and bandits moving into Nigeria through Sahel routes from Mali and Burkina Faso.

The groups were allegedly preparing to launch coordinated assaults on communities in Sokoto, Zamfara, Niger and Katsina states.

Those targeted in the strikes were said to be foreign-linked ISIS cells, including the Lakurawa and Jenni groups. Intelligence reports indicated that these groups had mobilised fighters from Mali and Burkina Faso with plans to execute attacks during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Information released by the Pentagon further revealed that at least one Tomahawk missile was fired from a U.S. naval platform operating in international sea corridors near Ghana as part of the strike operation.

The mission also involved the deployment of advanced long-range unmanned aerial systems to enhance targeting accuracy and reduce the risk of collateral damage.

Responding to concerns about civilian casualties, military sources stressed that the mission was “carefully planned and highly selective,” noting that surveillance systems ensured that only confirmed terrorist fighters and their logistics hubs were targeted and destroyed.

The operation highlights the expanding cooperation between Nigerian forces and international partners in tackling transnational terrorism and disrupting coordinated threats against vulnerable communities in the North-West region.

(VANGUARD)