President Donald Trump on Thursday said he ordered “numerous” strikes on Islamic State terrorists in Nigeria he accused of killing Christians.
“The United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said the “powerful and deadly” strikes were directed at militants in the northwest of Nigeria.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” he added.
A video posted by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile launched from a warship, though the precise target was unclear.
U.S. and Nigerian officials confirmed the two countries cooperated on the strikes, a shift in tone from Trump’s past criticism of the Nigerian government. Nigeria has one of Africa’s largest economies and is the continent’s most populous country, with some 240 million people split between Christians, Muslims and members of other faiths.
A statement from the U.S. Defense Department’s AFRICOM said that “in coordination with Nigerian authorities, U.S. Africa Command conducted strikes against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria ... in Sokoto State.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was “grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation,” while sharing the statement from Trump that criticized and threatened Nigerian officials.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC that the U.S. strike was a “joint operation” targeting “terrorists,” and it “has nothing to do with a particular religion.”
In late October, Trump began warning that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened to militarily intervene in the West African country over what he has called its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities.
The government of Nigeria, as well as experts and scholars, has said that Trump’s portrayal of the security situation in the West African country is misleading, as members of all faiths have suffered at the hands of Islamist extremists.
Violence and insecurity are serious concerns in Nigeria. While the government has repeatedly vowed to end the scourge, attacks persist despite military operations and negotiations.
On Wednesday night, a blast at a mosque in the northeast of the country killed five people and injured dozens.
Kidnappings for ransom are also common, particularly in Nigeria’s northwest, where armed gangs have targeted clergy, travelers and villagers.
Earlier this week, a final group of 130 kidnapped schoolchildren freed by the government was expected to be reunited with their families in the central Niger state, ending a monthlong ordeal.
The children were among more than 300 pupils and 12 staff members seized from a Catholic school on Nov. 21 in one of the country’s worst school kidnappings in recent years.
School kidnappings surged after Boko Haram, a militant group with links to ISIS, abducted 276 girls from Chibok in 2014.
In a Christmas Eve post, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wrote on X that he prays for peace in the country, especially between those of different religions.
“I stand committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence,” he wrote.
Tinubu wrote in a Nov. 1 post on X that the “characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.” He added that the country and its government “opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”
The U.S. has recently taken steps to punish Nigeria for its perceived failure to protect Christians.
In October, Trump added Nigeria back to a list of countries that the U.S. says have violated religious freedom. Earlier this week, Nigeria was added to the U.S. travel ban list of countries whose nationals face partial restrictions and entry limitations.
Republican U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, who recently traveled to the African country, also recently reiterated that the U.S. and Nigeria have established a joint task force to work on security.
The U.S. military last week launched separate large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria, after Trump vowed to hit back in the wake of a suspected ISIS attack on U.S. personnel in the country.
