- US seeks coordinated response, accountability for attacks by Boko Haram, ISIS, other terror groups
The siege on Zamafara State by terror groups seems to be getting worse as fresh information indicates that 15 villages were attacked between August 4 and 10, 2025 while 144 people were kidnapped within the same period.
A report released by the Zamfara Circle Community Initiative also said that 24 other residents were killed while 16 injured across several local government areas.
The breakdown showed that the affected communities include Sabe, Tungar Yamma, Sauru, Lambasu, Dogon Madacci, Dankalgo, and Kwanar Kalgo in the Bakura Local Government Area.
In Tsafe Local Government Area, the attacks targeted Chediya, Kucheri, Yankuzo, and Katangar Gabas Bilbils.
Mafara Local Government recorded incidents in Tabkin Rama, Matsafa, and Ruwan Gizo, while Rafin Jema in Gummi and the communities of Adabka and Masu in Bukkuyum were also affected.
The Zamfara Circle Community Initiative noted that the persistent wave of attacks underscored the urgent need for improved security measures to protect rural communities from armed groups operating in the State.
This is just as the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Monday confirmed that its aircraft under Operation Fasan Yamma recorded a major victory against bandits in Zamfara State with the neutralisation of several terrorists in a coordinated air and ground assault on Makakkari Forest.
Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, who disclosed this, said: “Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance, ISR, had confirmed movements of over 400 bandits, planning to invade a farming community.
“The operation involved precision airstrikes and ground assaults, resulting in the deaths of several notorious kingpins and scores of their foot soldiers. The synergy between air and land components made the operation exceptional.”
Meanwhile, the US government has called on West African nations and their neighbouring Sahelian States to set aside their differences and work together to defeat the different terrorist groups, including Boko Haram, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, among others, wreaking havoc in the region.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, made the remarks at the UN Security Council briefing on Peace Consolidation in West Africa, saying terrorists do not respect borders.
She condemned the recurring terrorists’ attacks within the region, and called for accountability for attacks perpetrated by the al-Qa’ida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, Boko Haram, and all other terrorist groups.
Shea reiterated the US commitment to continue to work with regional partners to counter terrorism threats, while also addressing the broader implications of the crisis in Sudan on peace and security in the Sahel region.
The envoy said: “First, terrorism continues to impact the lives of millions across the African continent, including those in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and the Lake Chad Basin. For far too long, citizens of West African nations have borne the brunt of the harms of terrorism.
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms recent terrorist attacks against civilians. We call for accountability for attacks perpetrated by the al-Qa’ida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, JNIM, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, Boko Haram, and all other terrorist groups.
“Second, we urge Sahelian states and their coastal West African neighbours to set aside differences and seek a coordinated response to terrorism, one that respects the rule of law and human rights, including military cooperation and intelligence sharing. Terrorists don’t respect borders.
“We further encourage the role of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, UNOWAS, in facilitating dialogue between the Alliance of Sahel States, AES, and ECOWAS on vital economic and political relations, in addition to regional security cooperation, consistent with its mandate.
“The United States in turn, will continue to work with regional partners to counter these threats. We, as the international community, have a vested interest in countering terrorism and the increasing danger that violent extremism poses to the global community.
“Finally, the crisis unfolding in Sudan continues to have far-reaching impacts on peace and security in the Sahel. In addition to humanitarian and economic disruptions, increasingly porous Sudanese borders and the proliferation of small arms have the potential to further destabilise Sahelian states. We call on the belligerents in Sudan to immediately end their violence.”
