ISTANBUL

Residents of a village in northwestern Nigeria hit by debris from a recent US airstrike have say the ISIS (Daesh) terror group was not present in the area, according to CNN.

Villagers in Jabo, a farming community in the northwestern state of Sokoto’s Tambuwal district, told the broadcaster they were startled by a loud blast and flames overhead at around 10 pm, before a projectile crashed into nearby fields, prompting residents to flee their homes.

“We couldn’t sleep last night. We’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Suleiman Kagara, a local resident, adding that the village has no history of extremist activity and that Muslims and Christians live peacefully side by side.

“In Jabo, we see Christians as our brothers. We don’t have religious conflicts, so we weren’t expecting this,” he said.

Bashar Isah Jabo, a lawmaker representing Tambuwal in the state assembly, described the area as a “peaceful community” with “no known history of ISIS, Lakurawa, or any other terrorist groups.” He said debris landed about 500 meters from the village’s only primary health center, causing panic but no casualties.

President Donald Trump announced the “powerful and deadly” strike late on Thursday, claiming US forces had targeted ISIS terrorists in the region. US Africa Command said the operation neutralized multiple ISIS fighters.

Nigeria’s Information Ministry later confirmed that, in coordination with the US, Nigerian forces conducted “precision strike operations” targeting ISIS hideouts in forests in Tangaza district of Sokoto. The ministry said debris from expended munitions fell in Jabo and another area in Kwara state, but stressed that no civilians were harmed.

Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said Nigerian President Bola Tinubu approved the operation and that it was aimed at protecting civilians, not targeting any religious group.