US airstrikes deepen debate in Nigeria as analysts warn against quick fix

Africanews (in English)

US airstrikes deepen debate in Nigeria as analysts warn against quick fix  Nigeria is facing mixed reactions following US airstrikes targeting Islamic State-linked militants in the country’s northwest, a move that has surprised many in a nation where foreign military intervention is rare.  READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/12/27/us-airstrikes-deepen-debate-in-nigeria-as-analysts-warn-against-quick-fix  Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.    Africanews is available in English and French.  Website : www.africanews.com  Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/  Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews

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00:00After U.S. airstrikes in northwest Nigeria, the reaction is divided.

00:05Some Nigerians welcome the move against ISIS, while others question Washington's timing and motives.

00:10The strikes came weeks after U.S. criticism over attacks on Christians.

00:14For the ordinary Nigerians, this is a matter of life and death.

00:19And any effort, any effort that can help towards addressing the insecurity that has been vidabling Nigeria over the last decade or so,

00:30will be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Nigerians.

00:33But that effort has to be intelligence-driven, it has to be precise, and it has to succeed.

00:41Nigeria's approval of the attacks is striking. Foreign military intervention here is rare.

00:48Nigerians on the streets would expect magic because when you say that the U.S. is coming in,

00:54then there is some sort of savior complex on the part of the people who think that once the U.S. steps in

00:59and then all the problems are wiped away.

01:01But realistically speaking, that would not be the case because these situations are very complex.

01:09I mean, the Nigerian government has been dealing with this with only the Islamic State for over 10 years now.

01:14It has evolved from Boko Haram to splinter groups, and we keep having complicated situations with them.

01:20And then you have the situation with the bandits in the northwest.

01:22And each of these conflicts have their own peculiarities.

01:26They differ in so many ways from one to the other.

01:29It's the same way that if you go down south, you have different security situations,

01:33which all differ and require different, you know, tactics in handling them.

01:37And so I do not see that the airstrikes will necessarily end the situation.

01:41It might call it for an interim moment or temporarily,

01:46but it doesn't exactly mean that this would mean an end to the security situation.

01:52Nigeria is fighting multiple armed groups from Islamic State affiliates linked to Boko Haram

01:58to the lesser-known Luka Waria gangs.

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