Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed new details about the international military coordination behind the Christmas Day 2025 airstrikes against ISIS-linked militants in Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Speaking at an event hosted by Chatham House in London on March 9, 2026, Mr. Ablakwa said the operation was a trilateral effort involving Ghana, Nigeria, and the United States. The mission targeted extremist enclaves linked to the Lakurawa jihadist group operating in Nigeria’s northwest.
According to the minister, both the Nigerian government and the United States formally invited Ghana to collaborate on the operation due to the growing threat posed by jihadist groups spreading across the Sahel region.
“The Nigerians will confirm to you that they invited the Americans, and they also reached out to Ghana to collaborate. Yes, both the Nigerians and the Americans,” Mr. Ablakwa stated.
The Christmas Day operation saw the United States launch precision strikes, including the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles, against militant positions in Sokoto State. The targets included ISIS-linked fighters associated with the Lakurawa network, which security analysts say had been establishing bases across border communities in northwest Nigeria. 
Military officials later confirmed that the strikes were based on extensive intelligence and surveillance coordination and were designed to hit confirmed terrorist targets while avoiding civilian areas. 
At the Chatham House forum, Mr. Ablakwa used the Sokoto mission as an example of how international counterterrorism cooperation should operate.
He stressed that while terrorism in the Sahel poses a serious regional threat, any foreign military involvement in Africa must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the host nation.
“Sovereignty has to be respected, territorial integrity has to be respected,” he said, adding that interventions must be clearly defined and agreed upon by all participating governments.
According to the minister, the success of the Sokoto operation was rooted in a clearly defined mandate agreed upon before the first missile was launched from the Gulf of Guinea.
Mr. Ablakwa cautioned against unilateral foreign military interventions, referencing global geopolitical tensions such as the situation in Venezuela as an example of the risks of external powers acting without consent.
He emphasized that Ghana’s approach to international security partnerships prioritizes transparency and clearly defined operational limits.
“We must know exactly what the scope is, what you are coming to do, the nature of the intervention,” he noted, adding that Ghanaian citizens expect their leaders to safeguard national sovereignty when working with global partners.