UPDATED: Residents flee as US missiles land in Sokoto community 

Residents of Jabo village in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State were gripped by fear on Thursday night after a loud explosion shattered the calm of the community.

Eyewitnesses said the incident involved an object suspected to be explosive, which landed in the area. No civilian casualties were recorded, as the object reportedly did not explode within a populated area.

A resident who spoke via social media described the incident as sudden and frightening, noting that villagers initially feared an attack.

“It happened suddenly at night. The sound caused panic, but thankfully it didn’t land among people,” the source said.

In a latest development, the Nigerian government confirmed that its cooperation with the United States led to airstrikes which rocked the community. 

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The federal government, in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the airstrikes as “precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West.”

“Nigeria reiterates that all counter-terrorism efforts are guided by the primacy of protecting civilian lives, safeguarding national unity, and upholding the rights and dignity of all citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity.

“The Federal Government continues to work closely with its partners through established diplomatic and security channels to weaken terrorist networks, disrupt their financing and logistics, and prevent cross-border threats, while strengthening Nigeria’s own security institutions and intelligence capabilities,” the statement added. 

ALSO READ: DHQ confirms US-Nigeria joint airstrikes targeting terrorists

Earlier, the US President Donald Trump has announced that following his directive, the US War Department launched “numerous strikes” on Christmas Day in Nigeria targeting “terrorist scum” which he accused of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians”.

Tribune Online reports that Trump, in a Truth Social post, went on to wish everyone Merry Christmas, including the dead terrorists, saying only the United States is capable of executing such numerous strikes.

Trump, in the post, also assured that there will be many more strikes against terrorist groups operating in Nigeria if what he described as the killings of Christians continue.