Nigerian Military Confirm Government Involvement In US Strike
By our reporter
Brigadier General Samaila Mohammed Uba has confirmed that the US strike was conducted with the approval of Nigerian authorities,following intelligence-sharing on the part of the government.
“The strike followed credible intelligence and careful operational planning aimed at degrading the capability of the targeted elements while minimising collateral damage,” Uba, who serves as director of Defence Information, said in a statement quoted by local news outlet The Guardian.
“The operation underscores the resolve of the Federal Government of Nigeria, working with strategic partners, to confront transnational terrorism and prevent foreign fighters from establishing or expanding footholds within Nigeria’s borders.”
President Trump had claimed that attacks in northwest Nigeria have killed “primarily, innocent Christians” and that the US strike was a direct consequence of that “slaughter”.
Peace and conflict analyst Bulama Bukarti said the US President’s characterisation of the violence taking place in that part of the country was a “fundamental misrepresentation of reality on the ground”.
“In the Sokoto State, 80 to 90 percent of the population is Muslim and when these attacks happen, they happen in the form of suicide attacks on markets where there is no discrimination between Muslims and Christians,” he said.
Bukarti welcomed the strike, but he said Nigerians “don’t see this as an effort to protect a specific religion but the whole of Nigeria and every Nigerian.”
The analyst added, however, that strikes have to be precise and “part of a broader strategy, because you cannot bomb your way out of these situations”.
ALJAZEERA