DHQ Vows More Strikes as ‘Total Annihilation’ Awaits Lakurawa After Successful Christmas Day U.S.-Nigeria Precision Hits

As the dust settles over the scorched remains of terrorist enclaves in Sokoto, the Nigerian military and its U.S. partners have delivered a chilling ultimatum to extremist groups: surrender or face “total annihilation.”

Details emerging, providing a clearer picture of the devastating efficiency of the Christmas Day “Operation Mercy” strikes. According to updated briefings from the Information Ministry, the 78-minute operation (conducted between 00:12 and 01:30 WAT) decimated two primary logistics hubs belonging to the Lakurawa group a radical ISIS-linked faction that has been terrorizing the Sokoto-Kebbi border axis.

The declassified flight logs show that while the USS Paul Ignatius an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer provided the heavy long-range bombardment via Tomahawk missiles, it was the MQ-9 Reaper drones that sealed the terrorists’ fate. The drones were reportedly used to “hunt” smaller groups of fighters who tried to scramble out of the Bauni forest as the forest canopy was illuminated by the initial missile blasts.

“We have previously warned these terrorists that there would be hell to pay, and there was,” noted U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a statement echoed by Nigerian officials. “More is to come for those who continue to target innocent lives.”

In Sokoto, the mood is a mix of relief and high alert. Isa Salihu Bashir, the local government chairman for Tangaza, reported that the strikes successfully uprooted camps that had become “no-go zones” for farmers. “The bandits and Lakurawa are on the run. They did not expect this level of fire,” he said. He further clarified that security cordons are now in place around the villages of Jabo and Offa to ensure that curious locals do not handle unexploded debris or shrapnel.

Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar reiterated that the Tinubu administration is not backing down. By confirming that this is a “long-term structured cooperation,” the government has signaled that the Sokoto strikes were merely the opening salvo in a renewed campaign to clear the Northwest of foreign-linked insurgents before the 2026 planting season.

Military analysts suggest that the “precision” nature of these hits—with zero reported civilian casualties despite the proximity to local settlements—marks a significant technological leap in Nigeria’s counter-insurgency capabilities, largely thanks to the real-time satellite intelligence provided by U.S. AFRICOM.