When Bombs Fall: Airstrikes, ISWAP, and the Health of a Nation

Recent Nigerian air operations — reported in Borno, Katsina, Kwara and other states — were described by the military as heavy strikes against ISWAP and other terrorist groups. The strikes are being framed by authorities as necessary to disrupt raids, rescues and mass-killings; in the international arena they have arrived amid a tense debate about whether Nigeria is experiencing targeted religious persecution — claims the Nigerian government rejects while some foreign politicians have amplified them. This is not only a security story. From an alternative-health perspective it is a public-health crisis: long after munitions fall, people, land and community wellbeing carry the scars. (The Nation Newspaper)

Who is ISWAP — and why are air strikes used against them?

ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) is a violent extremist group, a branch of the Boko Haram insurgency active in northeastern Nigeria and neighbouring regions. Their tactics include raids on towns and military convoys, kidnappings, improvised explosive devices, and attacks on civilian populations — actions that create mass displacement and chronic fear in affected communities. The Nigerian Air Force and army have used airstrikes to degrade ISWAP’s mobility and destroy strongholds in remote enclaves, aiming to reduce their capacity for large-scale attacks. Journalistic reports confirm multiple recent strikes and clashes in Borno and other states as part of intensified operations. (AP News)

A geopolitical flashpoint: threats, labels and public health fallout

When foreign leaders publicly claim “genocide” or threaten military intervention, the rhetoric escalates fast. In early November 2025 that international conversation intensified: U.S. statements about alleged mass killings of Christians in Nigeria provoked strong pushback from Abuja, which stressed that both Muslims and Christians have been victimised and that the violence is driven mainly by geography, organized extremist groups and criminal networks — not by a state policy of religious extermination. Whether the label is accurate or politicised, the consequence is the same: heightened national anxiety, diplomatic strain, and communal polarization — phenomena with real health effects. (Al Jazeera)

#SocietalInflammation — a public-health lens on conflict

In clinical terms, inflammation is the body’s response to injury: initial protection can become chronic and destructive when the trigger persists. I propose “Societal Inflammation” as a working metaphor: recurring violence, displacement, rhetoric of existential threat, and the destruction of livelihoods create prolonged stress responses across populations — elevated anxiety, sleep disruption, worsening non-communicable disease indicators, and weakened social cohesion. These are measurable public-health harms: higher rates of PTSD, depression, cardiovascular strain, malnutrition, and interruptions to vaccination and maternal care. Framing the crisis this way moves us from headline wars to remedial health actions: containment, cooling and rehabilitation. (AP News)

Comparing Hiroshima to modern air strikes — why the analogy must be precise

Hiroshima’s devastation was unique: the U.S. atomic bomb produced immediate blast and thermal destruction plus ionizing radiation — a source of acute radiation sickness and statistically detectable increases in cancer risk among survivors over decades. Because of that radiological legacy, Hiroshima is often invoked when discussing any bombing; but conflating nuclear effects with conventional strikes risks scientific error and public confusion. Modern conventional air strikes create blast, fragmentation injuries and fires, and they can release toxic combustion by-products and heavy metals into the environment; but they do not cause ionizing radiation unless radioactive munitions are used. The long-term genetic inheritance effects feared after nuclear detonations have not been clearly observed in human cohorts in the way popular imagination assumes, though cancer risks and other late effects are real and studied. Use the Hiroshima example carefully: as a warning about long-term human suffering, yes — as a precise technical analogue to conventional strikes, no. (PMC)

Environmental and health repercussions of air strikes: what the science says

Conventional bombing damages infrastructure, ignites fires, and pulverises buildings. The immediate consequences are trauma, burns and displacement. Medium-term threats include:

• Air pollution and particulate exposure from fires and destroyed fuel/industrial stores, increasing respiratory illness.

• Soil and water contamination when industrial targets, fuel tanks or stored chemicals are hit — releasing PAHs, dioxins, heavy metals and other toxicants.

• Unexploded ordnance (UXO) and metal fragments which pose chronic injury and poisoning risks if left un-cleared.

• Ecosystem disruption that undermines agriculture and food security. Post-conflict environmental assessments from other theatres (Kosovo, Lebanon, Iraq, Gaza) show these patterns repeatedly and demonstrate the need for systematic testing and remediation. (UNEP - UN Environment Programme)

Two particular concerns often arise in conflict zones: the use of munitions containing uranium (depleted uranium, DU) and the possible release of industrial chemicals. Reviews by health authorities (WHO and others) note that DU can pose toxicological and radiological questions if aerosolized, but evidence linking DU exposure to widespread genetic effects remains contested and complex; careful sampling and epidemiological follow-up are required. Likewise, chemical contamination (dioxins, PCBs, heavy metals) can emerge from burned industrial facilities — and those residues require laboratory analysis to quantify local health risk. (WHO Apps)

Are biochemical or chemical weapons being used — and how would we know?

There is no credible public evidence that state or non-state actors in these Nigerian strikes used chemical or biological weapons. Detecting such weapons is a distinct technical process: first-responder field detectors, clinical syndromic surveillance, environmental sampling (air, soil, water), and laboratory analyses using mass spectrometry, PCR and immunoassays. International bodies (OPCW for chemical weapons; WHO/UN laboratories for biological threats; UNEP for environmental assessments) or national public-health labs typically coordinate investigations when a chemical/biological incident is suspected. In short: claims about chemical or biological weapons must be investigated by experts using chain-of-custody sampling and specialized labs before drawing conclusions. (OPCW)

What a public-health response should prioritise now

1. Protect medical access: mobile clinics, trauma care supplies and mental-health outreach for displaced populations.

2. Environmental screening: targeted soil/water/air testing around strike sites and industrial targets; coordinate with UNEP/WHO where possible.

3. Debris management and UXO clearance: to reduce long-term injury and contamination risks.

4. Community healing: rituals, inter-faith dialogues and community-based psychosocial support to reduce #SocietalInflammation.

5. Transparent reporting: public health agencies and independent monitors must publish sampling results; this builds trust and reduces rumor-driven panic. (UNEP - UN Environment Programme)

Closing — from damage control to long-term healing

Air strikes against ISWAP may achieve short-term tactical goals, but the aftermath will be lived in bodies and landscapes for years unless health, environment and reconciliation are part of the plan. As commentators and leaders argue over labels and responsibility, health workers and community leaders must insist on diagnostic rigor and a healing agenda: environmental testing, trauma support, and rebuilding social bonds. That is how a nation reduces its chronic inflammation and, in time, restores the wellbeing of its people.

Read more on TCM Nigeria: practical steps for community healing from conflict — and join the conversation under #SocietalInflammation and #ISWAP.