Summarize the video

In this interview, Security Analyst Bulama Bukarti discusses the US military strikes on Daesh in Northwest Nigeria, stating that Nigeria did not genuinely want to be part of the air strikes (0:22). He suggests that the Nigerian government was “held at gunpoint” by the Trump administration (0:55) to agree to the strikes, as the US would have proceeded without their approval. Nigeria would have preferred the US to build local capacity by providing intelligence, equipment, fighter jets, and arms, allowing Nigeria to lead the fight (1:09).

Bukarti highlights a mutual lack of trust between the US and Nigerian governments (1:54). He points out that while the Nigerian government recognizes its need for help due to the failure of successive administrations to tackle insecurity (2:41), they do not want the kind of unilateral military action initially proposed by Trump (3:11). The Nigerian government and people prefer support in the form of arms, intelligence, and logistical capacity to deal with their problems themselves (3:37).

He also asserts that air strikes alone will not root out terrorism (4:08), as they can only temporarily degrade terrorist groups’ capacities (4:12). Bukarti states that there is no evidence that the recent air strikes succeeded in hitting any terrorist camps (4:29). Instead, the available evidence suggests that the strikes hit civilian locations, such as an onions farm and an Eid prayer ground, destroying a hotel (5:39). He reiterates that the Nigerian government was forced to allow the US to intervene (5:03) and that the US and its Western allies need to show humility and allow host countries to define their own needs (5:16).

Were US strikes successful?

According to the security analyst, Bulama Bukarti, there is no evidence that the US air strikes succeeded in any part of Nigeria (4:25). He states that there is “still no evidence produced by the US government or by the Nigerian government that any terrorist camp was hit by the air strikes” (4:34).

The speaker claims that instead of hitting terrorist targets, the evidence suggests that the air strikes ended up hitting civilian locations (5:39). Specifically, one strike hit an onions farm near a primary healthcare center, and another hit an Eid prayer ground and destroyed a hotel (5:48). Bukarti concludes that the strikes “didn’t succeed” and “wasn’t precise” (6:04).

Related:

US Airstrikes in Sokoto Target Bandits, Not ISIS, Security Analyst Bulama Bukarti Observes