United States President Donald Trump announced that US
forces carried out “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State
militants in northwestern Nigeria on Thursday, targeting the group after he
warned them to stop killing Christians in the country.
According to the Department of Defense, “multiple ISIS
terrorists” were killed in the operation, conducted at the request of Nigerian
authorities in Sokoto State, though few operational details were released. The
attacks coincided with Christmas Day.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said,
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the
slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
May God Bless our Military. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead
Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians
continues.”
US Africa Command confirmed the strikes, highlighting
coordination with Nigerian authorities. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth praised the
department’s readiness and expressed gratitude for Nigeria’s cooperation.
The strikes mark the first US military action in
Nigeria under Trump’s leadership and follow his repeated warnings over what he
described as an “existential threat” to Christians in the country. His
statements and recent diplomatic efforts have drawn mixed reactions, with some
viewing them as protective, while others warn they could inflame religious
tensions in Africa’s most populous nation.
Nigeria’s government and independent analysts reject
framing the country’s violence as religious persecution, stressing that the
violence affects citizens across faiths. Nevertheless, the US has designated
Nigeria a “country of particular concern” regarding religious freedom and
restricted visa issuance to Nigerians this year.
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