Nigeria's largest rescue operation frees 308 hostages held by militants in Kwara State

Victims held for six months in captivity at the hands of jihadi kidnappers in Nigeria detailed on Friday the harrowing conditions they were kept in after being liberated in what Nigerian officials are calling the largest rescue operation in the country's history.

Nigerian forces rescued at least 308 victims from captivity in the past week, with the bulk of the victims coming from two distinct groups. 163 of the victims were taken from the Woro community in Nigeria's Kwara State in a Feb. 3 raid that saw their jihadi kidnappers kill an additional 160 people in the Woro village.

The victims told the Associated Press that they believed they had been taken as punishment for refusing to accept and acquiesce to the religious preachings of the jihadis.

One woman, Hauwa Saliu, told the outlet that her captors constantly asked the victims if they had accepted jihad yet.

NIGERIAN PASTOR HIGHLIGHTED BY TRUMP SAYS HE’S NEXT AFTER MILITIA KILLS HIS RELATIVES

"We prayed to God to help us go back home, but it never really crossed our minds that we were going to go back home," she told the outlet.

Another victim, Amira Saliu, described the conditions in which the women and children were being kept, explaining that they were held in a forest near a river, and forced to put out fires and hide when they heard helicopters nearby.

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Saliu, a nurse, also explained how she had to help 10 women give birth with no medical equipment or sanitary gloves.

"I had no choice but to use my bare hands," she told the outlet.

Mary Ishaya, 44, told the outlet that the captives often went days without food and had to bury other captives who had died.

"I still cannot find the right words to describe what has happened to us. We saw death and suffering," she said.

The governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, told reporters during a news conference that 46 victims were being treated at a hospital.

"This is indeed, indeed a very sad situation. We've not yet come to terms with it. We're still assessing the situation. As you can see, it's just kids ... children and women that are here today," he said. "It's truly a shame that this has happened."

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The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Nigeria's militant Islamic insurgency in the north and the country's large Christian population, who make up roughly 45% of Nigeria's citizens.

On Christmas Day, President Donald Trump, in coordination with Nigeria's government, authorized precision missile strikes on Islamic State-affiliated groups in northern Nigeria, citing the need to protect the country's Christians.

The U.S. followed up in May, launching coordinated joint military action that reportedly resulted in the death of senior Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Mainuk.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Spain's migrant surge reignites debate over Europe’s Islamist terror threat

The estimated 72,000 Moroccan migrants who flooded into the Spanish city of Ceuta within 24 hours is shining the spotlight on Europe’s massive problem of illegal and legal migration and the threat of growing Islamic terrorism.

Mideast and European commentators who closely follow Islamic extremism across the continent say Europe’s political class needs to tackle the origins of radical Islamism to prevent terrorism.

According to a July Europol (formerly known as the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) report, Spain recorded the highest number of arrests (117) for "jihadist terrorism-related offenses" within the European Union during 2025.

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Some Spanish outlets claimed that the Spanish Civil Guard and police identified "about a dozen" individuals previously deported from Spain for suspected terror-related offenses among those who entered Ceuta last week. However, Euro News reported that Spain’s interior ministry said it has not confirmed those reports. 

Quoting the ministry, it stated that "The Spanish public and the people of Ceuta can be confident that the arrivals on 30 July do not pose a threat to public security." The report also cited the interior ministry as saying that so far this year 82 people had been arrested for offenses related to jihadist terrorism.

Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, and expert on Islamism in Europe and North America, told Fox News Digital, "This is Europe. This is the way it has been for the last 15 years, with some ebbs and flows." He said about the new Europol report that "It is more in line with the last 10 years. Europe has sadly learned to live with this reality."

British political commentator and Mideast expert, Tom Gross, told Fox News Digital: "Europe’s ruling classes need to be honest. It is not racist to point out the obvious: that most terrorism in Western Europe today is being fueled by radical Islamic mosques and teachers."

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He added, "Leaders in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Egypt acknowledge this. Why can’t Western leaders?"

Gross said, "Politicians such as new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez, need to stop fueling the propaganda of radical Muslims by implying that there has been some kind of genocide against Muslims in Gaza, when there has been nothing of the sort."

He continued, "If they really want to help push back radical Islam, European leaders should be assisting, not criticizing, those in Washington and elsewhere calling for the downfall of Iran’s Islamic dictatorship."

In April, the U.K. raised its national terror threat level to "severe" following an antisemitic attack in London when a Somali immigrant stabbed two men. A "Severe" warning, according to authorities means another terrorist attack is considered "highly likely" in the next six months.

A spokesperson for London’s Mayor Khan told Fox News Digital that "The Mayor has invested £16 million (approxmiately $21.5 million) – more than any other Mayor – to support grassroots community groups to stand up to hate and intolerance. This includes £6 million (approximately $8 million) through his Shared Endeavour Fund to give Londoners the tools and skills to tackle extremism."

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Late last month, the alleged Islamist State terrorist, the 21-year-old German-Lebanese man, Abdul Ballout, drove a van into the Berlin Pride Parade event, murdering one woman and injuring nearly 30 people. The German authorities had released Ballout despite his recent conviction related to supporting the Islamic State.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told public broadcaster ZDF during an interview that in light of the 21-year-old suspect's conviction and record of backing the Islamic State, it did not make sense that the man was roaming free.

"You can assume that it certainly would have made sense to put this person in custody," he noted.

Khan’s spokesperson also cited an X Post from the Mayor following the Berlin Pride attack: "My thoughts are with everyone affected by the horrific attack in Berlin and their families. This appalling act of violence has no place in our society. London stands in solidarity with Berlin’s LGBTQ+ community. This is why Pride matters. Those who seek to spread hatred and division will never win."

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A new report by Germany’s federal intelligence that documents threats to the constitutional order estimates that there are roughly about 28,000 members of Germany’s Islamist scene. Approximately 9,110 are currently assessed to have an "orientation to violence. "The type of violence is defined as jihadi violence."

Germany’s federal interior ministry, which publishes the annual domestic intelligence threat report, notes that crimes attributed to "religious ideology" have climbed from 134 in 2022 to 998 last year. Radical Islamist crimes are reportedly understood to make up the main portion of the "religious ideology" category.

Germany’s neighbor, France, experienced another stabbing just days after the attack in Germany. A suspect reportedly stabbed three women in Paris and declared as people captured him after the attack, "it is Allah who commanded me."

Vidino said, "The incident in Paris it seems one of the cases" regarding the how an attack is classified: "Is it terrorism? Is it a crazy guy? Often times, Europeans play down the ideological motive and cite mental health. Some countries tend to do it more than others. Most Europeans go for downplaying of the ideological component."

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Austria’s intelligence agency announced in May on its website that it arrested a group of suspected Islamist terrorists, which included five males aged between 14 and 45 and one 16-year-old female. "The individuals concerned are suspected of having committed offenses related to Islamist extremism and terrorism in Austria, for example through membership of a terrorist organization, incitement to terrorist offenses, dissemination of IS [Islamic State] propaganda, and approval of terrorist offenses," wrote the Austrian agency.

In June, Swedish authorities arrested a teenage boy who pledged allegiance to the Islamist State and idolized suicide bombers, according to Swedish media. He issued death threats to students at school and showed pictures of beheaded people.

Nervana Mahmoud, a British-Egyptian medical doctor who has written extensively about Islamist terrorism and indoctrination, told Fox News Digital that "The current challenge facing Europe is, in many ways, a battle over Islamist extremism and its place within Western societies. To address the threat at its source, European governments need to focus on preventing radicalization and disrupting foreign funding and ideological networks that fuel extremist movements. Without tackling these root causes, the risk of future terrorist attacks will remain."

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Mahmoud said, "The United States should learn from Europe’s experience rather than simply criticize it. It has an opportunity to strengthen prevention efforts early by fostering a shared American identity within immigrant communities, disrupting foreign funding that may promote extremist influence through universities and think tanks, and working with Muslim Americans who reject Islamism and uphold democratic values. Long-term success will require not only strong security measures but also sustained efforts to prevent radicalization before it takes hold."

The United Kingdom’s judicial system recorded a series of convictions of Islamist terrorists in July. Abdullah Bin Yasir was imprisoned for two and a half years after admitting he had bomb-making guides linked to an Islamic State-aligned entity. The construction of bomb material was designed to carry out a terrorist attack.

Late last month, in Wigston, Britain, the authorities arrested a 27-year-old man for supporting the Islamic State.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the 31-year-old Mohammad Bashir "pleaded guilty to preparing an act of terrorism" against a British defense target.

A spokesperson for the British Home Office told Fox News Digital, "The United Kingdom has one of the most robust counter-terrorism systems in the world. We remain committed to ensuring our Police and Security Services have the tools and powers they need to prevent the spread of violent ideologies and keep the country safe."

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The spokesperson added, "This includes a wide range of terrorist offenses and specialized powers designed to risk, support prosecution, and strengthen management of terrorist offenders. Islamist terrorism remains the primary domestic threat to the United Kingdom, accounting for roughly three quarters of the Security Service’s casework."

Northern continental Europe is also facing a serious Jihadi terrorist threat. According to a late May Danish Security and Intelligence Service statement, the "CTA [Center for Terror Analysis in Denmark] assesses that the terrorist threat from militant Islamists remains at the level of significant."

Vidino said there has been a silver lining since the outbreak of the Islamic State terrorist attacks in Europe. "I would say I do think most European law enforcement agencies and security forces have gotten better over the years. When the big ISIS radicalization took place, small countries were completely unprepared to deal with it." He cited Switzerland, Austria and the Scandinavian countries.

"They did not have legal capabilities and mindset. That has changed and it is not perfect."

Fox News Digital sent multiple press queries to the Spanish government.

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Trump ally 'El Tigre' sworn in as Colombia's new president amid continent's rightward shift

Colombia entered a new political chapter as conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn into office Friday, pledging to reverse much of former President Gustavo Petro’s left-wing agenda and restore a tougher approach to security, economic policy and relations with the United States.

Known by his nickname "El Tigre" (the tiger), his inauguration marks one of the most significant political shifts in Latin America in recent years. After four years of socialist President Gustavo Petro’s "Total Peace" strategy, expanding coca cultivation and increasingly strained relations with Washington, de la Espriella now faces the challenge of translating campaign promises into governing reality.

He was joined at the inauguration by several conservative presidents from across the region, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa and Chile’s José Antonio Kast. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was there as part of the U.S. delegation. Spain's King Felipe VI and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were also in attendance, The Associated Press reported.

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"I have come to close a long chapter of national resignation and, together with the people, embark on the most profound transformation of our destiny," De La Espriella said, according to Reuters while speaking at the Pichincha Battalion military base in Cali. 

"I send a firm message to the Colombian people: The time has come to restore order, authority, and freedom."

Reuters said one of his first acts as president was to join The Shield of the Americas, founded by President Donald Trump.

For the U.S., Colombia remains its closest security partner in South America, a key trading ally and one of the region’s largest recipients of U.S. security assistance. Hundreds of American companies operate in Colombia, while the country’s security conditions directly affect regional migration, organized crime and narcotics trafficking.

On foreign policy, the new president has committed to rebuilding strategic ties with the United States, restoring close cooperation with Israel and adopting a tougher stance toward the authoritarian governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

Whether those commitments produce measurable improvements, however, will depend on resources that remain in short supply. Camilo Guzmán, executive director of Libertank, told Fox News Digital that the country’s financial situation will define what the administration can realistically accomplish.

"President de la Espriella inherits a house with the roof leaking and the safe empty. The order matters because almost everything he promised requires money he does not have." Guzmán pointed to Colombia’s deteriorating fiscal position as the administration’s most immediate challenge.

"Start with the fiscal picture. It is worse than his own team seems to expect. The 2026 deficit is tracking around 6.5-6.7% of GDP, the financing gap is close to $34 billion and the implicit medium-term adjustment being left on his desk is near five points of GDP. It is also a cash problem, not only an accounting one. Before he governs, he must make payroll."

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The International Monetary Fund projects Colombia’s economy will grow by only about 2.3% this year while inflation remains elevated, limiting the government’s room to finance new security initiatives or major economic reforms without additional spending cuts or new revenue measures.

Security presents an equally daunting challenge. Violence has intensified across several regions as criminal organizations and guerrilla groups have expanded their territorial influence over the past several years.

Guzmán said, "Security is the second fire. The first half of 2026 closed with the highest homicide count for any first semester in a decade, extortion still rising and armed groups that have grown sharply since 2022. Security is rebuilt in years, not in quarters. Expect operations, captures and hard rhetoric in the first 100 days, visible and real, but not yet structural."

Even if the administration moves quickly on executive actions, its legislative agenda will depend on building consensus in a fragmented Congress. Although De la Espriella won the presidency, his party controls only five seats in the Senate, while Petro’s Historic Pact remains the largest individual political bloc. Passing security reforms, fiscal legislation and broader economic initiatives will require negotiations with centrist and traditional parties on virtually every major proposal.

Guzmán believes those political realities may prove just as important as the security challenges. "He won the election; he did not win Congress. The July fight over the Senate presidency was the first warning. He has a coalition that is numerically large and poorly disciplined. His agenda will be negotiated bill by bill."

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For that reason, analysts caution against measuring the administration’s success solely by immediate results. Instead, the first 100 days are likely to be judged by whether the new president establishes credibility, assembles an effective governing team and demonstrates that campaign promises can evolve into a coherent governing strategy.

Guzmán concluded, "The realistic expectation is this: the first 100 days will produce signals, not results. Appointments, decrees, an emergency spending cut, a tax bill, a security package. Meanwhile, expectations are enormous, and the distance between what people were promised and what is physically possible in 100 days is the main political risk he faces. He will spend those 100 days putting the house in order. He should say so out loud, and early. Credibility is the one asset he can build by day 100."

The decisions investors and policymakers will watch most closely include whether De la Espriella formally abandons Petro’s negotiations with the ELN, resumes aerial coca fumigation, expands intelligence and security cooperation with Washington, restores full diplomatic engagement with Israel and introduces a credible fiscal adjustment plan.

Those early moves, analysts say, will offer the clearest indication of whether Colombia’s new president can begin delivering on his promise to reverse the Petro era, or whether the country’s fiscal, political and security realities will force him to scale back one of the most ambitious conservative agendas in modern Colombian politics.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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US intel warns Russia could launch limited attack on NATO ally in effort to fragment organization: report

Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack a NATO member country in the next few years in an attempt to fragment the post-World War II organization and test Article 5, new U.S. intelligence has found, according to a report.

While U.S. intelligence had previously assessed that Putin wouldn’t launch an assault on a NATO country while still involved in the war in Ukraine, the Russian president is now looking for a victory as Ukraine makes gains, and the U.S. and Europe have seen increasing signs he is testing the organization, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

That includes a drone that hit a Romanian apartment building in May and cruise missiles that landed in Poland late last month, a NATO country.

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Article 5 of NATO states that an attack on one country is an attack on all countries.

The assessment said it would likely be a limited attack that could range anywhere from a cyberattack to a small-scale land incursion and would likely be focused on the Baltics or Poland.

The attack could happen any time between this fall and 2029, the assessment said.

"The question mark is how the United States would respond in that case," Heather Conley, senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, told the Journal. "It has always been a goal [of Russia’s] to challenge the credibility of NATO and to separate the United States from its allies."

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The assessment also comes amid claims the United States’ munitions stockpile has been depleted by arms sent to support Ukraine and due to the war in Iran.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, however, called those claims false.

"We have everything required to strike at the time and place of the president’s choosing," Parnell told the Journal. "Across multiple combatant commands, we have already executed successful operations while maintaining a deep, ready arsenal to defend our people and our interests. Any adversary who confuses media noise with American weakness will discover the truth the hard way."

A land incursion was deemed the least likely because it would trigger Article 5, but it’s unclear what the response would be to something like a cyberattack.

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"This has always been NATO’s challenge to respond to a sub-Article 5 attack, and it’s been very true that to this point, NATO allies have preferred not to escalate," Conley told the Journal.

Fox News Digital has reached out to NATO for comment.

Col. Martin O’Donnell, a NATO spokesman, told the Journal, "We are always thinking through and preparing for any number of scenarios. NATO is watching, and we are ready to deter and defend as necessary, which we continue to demonstrate."

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Student perpetrates deadly shooting at Thailand high school, authorities say

A student opened fire at a high school in Thailand on Friday, killing at least six and injuring others, police reported.

The attack took place at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province northwest of Bangkok, Royal Thai Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan indicated to The Associated Press.

A witness told reporters that students hid inside a classroom while they heard gunshots from another building before police officers knocked on the door and cleared a way for them to leave the building.

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Authorities provided conflicting numbers of casualties in connection with the attack.

Trairong told news broadcaster Channel 3 that the attacker was being hospitalized in serious condition, while 15 other individuals had been hurt, including two in critical condition — he reported that three teachers and three students had been killed.

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Thailand Health Minister Pattana Promphat indicated that 22 individuals were hurt with nine in critical condition. Some were hurt due to causes like falls, and it was unclear how many were gunshot victims.

Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee indicated to reporters that five teachers passed away and that the perpetrator took the lives of his two grandparents at home prior to heading to the school. He reported that the attacker died at a hospital.

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Trairong reported that the weapon was thought to have been taken from a member of the shooter's family.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Crowded Russian beach descends into chaos after alleged Ukrainian drone incident kills 7, including 4 children

Vacationers were sent scrambling for safety Monday after a projectile struck a crowded beach in a Russian Black Sea resort town, killing seven people, including four children, and injuring dozens more, officials said.

Video footage captured the incident in the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka near Gelendzhik, where the beach was packed with visitors at the time of the strike.

The Russian Mission in Geneva said in a post on X that the "bloody attack" was carried out by a drone launched by Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of targeting civilians.

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"The attack targeted civilian infrastructure. Emergency and special services are working at the crash site," regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram.

"What happened today is a targeted attack by the Kyiv regime against civilians who have no connection to the military infrastructure. This cynical and inhumane terrorist attack against children cannot be justified." 

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Andriy Kovalenko, an officer with Ukraine’s Defense Forces, disputed Russia’s account, saying the deaths were directly caused by Russian air defenses that intercepted a drone, sending debris onto the beach.

"Russian air defense shot down a drone over people lying on the beach," Kovalenko said on Telegram.

In the video, sounds resembling gunfire were heard just seconds before a drone struck the beach, causing a fireball explosion that sent bystanders screaming. As the gunfire was heard, the drone appeared to veer sharply before diving toward the beach.

Preliminary Russian reports also found that several of the deaths were caused by "falling drone debris," Kondratyev said.

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In another Telegram post, Kovalenko indicated that Ukraine uses its weapons against Russian military-industrial infrastructure to affect Moscow’s ability to finance the war.

He further accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of creating an "illusion" that Russia would remain safe from the war by downplaying daily explosions as falling debris, limiting air raid warnings, and positioning air defenses near populated areas such as the Black Sea resort.

"Putin deliberately killed these people. Because if he had not started the war and struck Ukraine, they would be alive," Kovalenko said.

"It was Putin, his air defense, who killed these Russians. His decisions in response to their decisions launched a chain of death for Russians."

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Explosive drone forces shutdown at major German airport serving NATO, Ukraine flights

A drone carrying explosives was found near a Ukrainian plane at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport late Tuesday, prompting officials to warn the incident represented "a new quality of danger," authorities said Wednesday.

The discovery temporarily shut down both runways at the major European freight hub and forced several flights to divert to other airports, according to The Associated Press.

Another flying object was spotted nearby shortly before midnight and several flights, including one passenger plane, were then diverted to other airports.

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German police launched a large response and opened an investigation into the two incidents.

Police said an airport worker found the first explosive drone near the airport's south runway with "an unknown explosive device."

An explosives-disposal robot was deployed to examine the device before authorities removed its detonator.

The plane, bearing the blue-and-yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag, displayed the English-language slogan, "Be Brave Like Kherson," a tribute to the southern Ukrainian region, Deutsche Welle reported.

In the second incident, an unidentified flying object collided with a cargo aircraft that had aborted its landing at Leipzig/Halle Airport because of the runway closure.

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The aircraft diverted to Hannover Airport, about 125 miles north-west of Leipzig, where officials found minor damage, according to The Associated Press.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the discovery of the first drone marked a significant escalation.

"Drone sightings, drone threats, including in a hybrid context, are something we know from the past," he said. "That a drone armed with explosives is at an airport is a new threat scenario."

Dobrindt also described the incident as "a hybrid attack scenario."

He said questions about the type of explosives used, the drone's origin and who was responsible remained under investigation.

"All the speculation that is currently going on about the explosives, the construction, the question of the drone, the origin and, of course, who is behind it, is now part of the investigation," Dobrindt said.

"What is happening now also shows that the assessment made months ago — that we are dealing with a high level of danger — was justified," Dobrindt added.

In June, Dobrindt opened Germany's Joint Centre for Countering Hybrid Threats, which brings together federal and state security agencies to address threats including espionage, sabotage and disinformation.

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Leipzig/Halle Airport is a major European cargo hub, and Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft are based there.

NATO said it was aware of the incidents but referred questions to German authorities.

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Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, suggested Moscow may have been behind the incident, telling Welt TV on Wednesday, "Who else could it be but Russia?" according to reports.

In 2024, an incendiary device ignited at a logistics center at Leipzig/Halle Airport, setting fire to a freight container in an incident Western security officials suspect was part of a Russian intelligence sabotage operation.

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