US campaign against ISIS extends to Nigeria
President Trump confirms that the strike was carried out at the request of Nigerian authorities in response to crimes committed by the extremist group against Christians.
President Donald Trump and the US military announced on Thursday that the United States had launched an airstrike against fighters of the so-called Islamic State in northwestern Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government, accusing the group of targeting Christians in the region.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “Tonight, under my direction as commander in chief of the armed forces, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against the ISIS terrorists in northwestern Nigeria who are targeting and brutally killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels we have not seen for many years, even centuries.”
US Africa Command stated that the strike was carried out in Sokoto State in coordination with Nigerian authorities and resulted in the killing of several members of the Islamic State group. The command had earlier posted a statement on X saying the strike had been conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, but the statement was later deleted.
The strike comes after Trump warned in late October that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened military intervention in the West African nation, criticizing what he described as its failure to curb violence targeting Christian areas.
Media reports on Monday indicated that the United States had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strike was carried out within the framework of ongoing security cooperation with the United States, which includes intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to target armed groups.
The ministry said in a post on X that this had resulted in precise airstrikes targeting terrorist sites in Nigeria, particularly in the northwest of the country.
A video released by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile being launched from a warship. A US military official stated that the strike targeted several militants in known Islamic State camps.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed his thanks to the Nigerian government for its support and cooperation, adding: “More will follow…”
The Nigerian government says armed groups target both Muslims and Christians and that US claims of Christian persecution do not reflect a complex security situation, while overlooking efforts made to protect religious freedom. Nevertheless, Nigeria agreed to cooperate with the United States to support its forces against armed groups.
The country’s population is divided between Muslims living mainly in the north and Christians in the south.
Police reported earlier on Thursday that a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people and injured thirty-five others in northeastern Nigeria, another region affected by the insurgency of extremist Islamist groups.
In a Christmas message published earlier on X, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for peace in the country, “especially among people of different religious beliefs.”
He also said: “I am committed to doing everything in my power to entrench religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims and all Nigerians from violence.”
Trump’s post came on Christmas Day while he was at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was spending the holidays. He did not take part in any public events during the day, and his last appearance before reporters accompanying him was on Wednesday night.
Last week, the US military carried out large, separate strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria after Trump vowed to respond following an attack the group was suspected of carrying out against US troops in the country.
