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Nigeria: Questions Mount Over U.S. Airstrikes in Northern Nigeria$

By Leslie Varenne, MondAfrique: The American strikes carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day raise serious questions. Beyond the confusion surrounding the objectives of the operation, inconsistencies in official statements, and the unclear nature of the targets, the...

Nigeria grapples with end of fuel subsidyF

By Alexandre Martins Lopes: Nigerians are struggling with surging fuel prices after newly elected President Bola Tinubu declared an end to popular subsidies, a move analysts and experts said was long overdue. On his first day in office, Tinubu kept to his campaign...

Nigeria: Borno state remains active area of insurgency with new ambush near MaiduguriF

Posted On 13 July 2020

July 13, 2020 – Jihadists shot dead 10 Nigerian soldiers in  two incidents in the country’s restive northeast on Monday,  security sources said.  The assailants gunned down eight troops in an attack on a military convoy near Kumulla village, 40 kilometres (25 miles) outside the regional capital Maiduguri, two sources told AFP.   Both sources spoke on anonymity because they were not authorised to pass on information to the media. Hours later two soldiers were killed in a separate “firefight” after a military patrol encountered a group of insurgents in Kolore village, 120 kilometres (75 miles) from Maiduguri, the sources said.
The latest losses for the Nigerian military come after at least 35 troops were killed last week in an attack by fighters loyal to the so-called Islamist State group near Kumulla.  Jihadists have waged a decade-long insurgency in the region that has left 36,000 people dead and displaced some two million.    Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction split from the main Boko Haram group in 2016 and have become a dominant force. ISWAP has focused most of its attacks on military targets but has increasingly carried out deadly attacks on civilians in recent months.
AFP

Recent News from Nigeria

Nigeria Adjusts Airstrike Strategy Under Expanded U.S. Security Cooperation$

Nigeria is modifying how it conducts air operations against armed groups under a revised security arrangement with the United States. The new framework places greater emphasis on U.S. intelligence and reconnaissance support while shifting operational responsibility to Nigerian forces. The approach reflects Abuja’s effort to balance external assistance with domestic control amid ongoing security challenges in the country’s northwest.

Nigeria: Questions Mount Over U.S. Airstrikes in Northern Nigeria$

The U.S. airstrikes carried out in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day have triggered confusion and skepticism across the region. Conflicting statements from Washington and Abuja, uncertainty over the identity of the targeted groups, and reports from strike locations where no militants were found have raised serious questions about the operation’s objectives. In an already fragile security environment, the lack of clarity risks adding instability rather than addressing Nigeria’s complex security challenges.

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