Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has revealed that the United States informed Nigeria and worked closely with its authorities before carrying out air strikes on terrorist targets in north-western Nigeria on Christmas Day.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking on Channels Television on Friday, Tuggar explained that the operation was discussed at high level and carried out as part of ongoing cooperation between both countries to tackle terrorism.
The minister disclosed that he held direct talks with Marco Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, before the strike and briefed President Bola Tinubu ahead of the operation.
According to him, the Nigerian government approved the action on the basis that it respected the country’s sovereignty and remained focused on counter-terrorism.
Tuggar said, “It’s Nigeria that provided the intelligence. I was on the phone yesterday for 19 minutes with Marco Rubio, United States Secretary of State. We spoke extensively and we agreed that I was going to speak with President Tinubu to give the go-ahead.”
“I did speak with Tinubu and it was agreed that the statements that would follow would be statements that would show clearly that it is a strike against terrorism and it is a part of the ongoing joint operations between Nigeria and the United States.”
“And that the operation would have nothing to do with religion but would be about protecting Nigerians and innocent lives.
“This was clear. Rubio and I spoke twice. We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and for another five minutes before it went on.”
Tuggar confirmed that the air strike was not a one-off action, noting that Nigeria continues to work with the United States and other international partners to combat terrorism and improve security across the country.
He said, “We are working with the US, we are working with other countries as well.”
“For all those that are prepared to work with us to combat terrorism, to ensure security in our region, in Nigeria itself, we are ready to cooperate and collaborate.”
Security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States has intensified in recent years, with both countries sharing intelligence and providing support aimed at dismantling terrorist networks operating in parts of the country.
