Four Tomahawk missiles fired by the United States at Nigeria on Christmas night, December 25, 2025, failed to explode, according to The Washington Post.
President Donald Trump described the attack as a “Christmas present” for ISIS, citing persecution of Christians, while the full strike involved 16 missiles. The unexploded munitions landed in widely scattered locations, including an onion field in northwest Nigeria, residential buildings and farmland near Offa, and a forest in Zugurma.
Nigerian and Western analysts noted that the locations made it unlikely the strikes targeted senior ISIS leaders, suggesting the Islamist group Lakurawa may have been the intended target.
An anonymous US official told The Washington Post the operation “was likely not very effective and did not remove any camps or capabilities,” while White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers countered that the strike successfully eliminated many “radical ISIS terrorists using powerful and precise strikes.”
Islamic State attacks on Christian Nigerians have been rising, including a December 17 church abduction of 13 worshippers in Kogi and the November 21 kidnapping of over 300 schoolchildren, prompting Nigeria to welcome US assistance, with adviser Daniel Bwala stating: “We welcome US assistance as long as it recognizes our territorial integrity.”