By Sochima Agbo 

The Nigerian military has intensified nationwide counterterrorism operations following threats by former U.S. President Donald Trump to consider deploying American forces to Nigeria over alleged persecution of Christians.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, warned that Washington could suspend all aid to Nigeria and take “fast and vicious action” if the Tinubu administration failed to curb the killings.

In response, Nigerian troops and air assets launched coordinated offensives across the North, targeting terrorist strongholds and supply routes.

In Borno State, over 50 fighters were reportedly killed in a violent clash between rival terrorist factions—Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP)—around Abadam Local Government Area. The fight, which erupted in the island community of Toumbun Gini, saw Boko Haram forces repel an ISWAP invasion, seizing several boats and weapons.

Meanwhile, troops of Operation Hadin Kai foiled a Boko Haram ambush on civilians along the Buratai–Kamuya Road, rescuing 86 victims and arresting 29 suspected logistics suppliers. Recovered items included rifles, ammunition, vehicles, motorcycles, and fuel containers.

In a related development, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) carried out precision airstrikes on terrorist hideouts across Borno, Kwara, and Katsina States.

NAF spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame confirmed that multiple ISWAP and bandit camps were destroyed, with several insurgents neutralised and logistics hubs crippled.

According to Ejodame, air interdiction missions in Mallam Fatori and Shuwaram inflicted heavy losses on ISWAP elements, while strikes in Garin Dandi, Chigogo, and Zango Hill neutralised notorious bandit leaders in Kwara and Katsina States.

The operations, he said, reflect the Armed Forces’ sustained commitment under the directives of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, to weaken terrorist networks and restore stability across conflict-prone regions.