President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he had directed U.S. forces to carry out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria, describing the operation as a response to what he called the group’s targeted killings of Christians.
In a post on Truth Social on Christmas night, Trump wrote: “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, 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!”
He added, “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. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.”
Trump concluded the post by stating that “under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper,” and extended holiday greetings, including to “the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the strikes took place in Sokoto state, bordering Niger, and were conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities. An initial assessment indicated that multiple ISIS militants were killed at camps targeted in the operation.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the announcement on social media, expressing gratitude for “Nigerian government support & cooperation” and warning that “more to come” if attacks persist.
The Nigerian Foreign Ministry confirmed the joint operation, describing it as part of ongoing security cooperation with the U.S. to target terrorist groups. It reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting the rights of all citizens regardless of faith or ethnicity.
Daniel Bwala, a special adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, told reporters that “the US and Nigeria are on the same page in the fight against terrorism.”
The strikes follow months of sharp rhetoric from Trump on religious violence in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. In November, he designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations and warned of potential U.S. intervention, including threats to enter “guns-a-blazing” if attacks on Christians continued.
Experts note that Nigeria has long struggled with insecurity, including attacks by Islamist extremists affiliated with ISIS’s West Africa province, as well as communal clashes, banditry, and farmer-herder disputes over resources. Violence has affected both Christian and Muslim communities, though Trump has repeatedly framed the issue as an existential threat primarily to Christians.
The operation marks another instance of U.S. military action under Trump’s second term, following recent strikes on ISIS targets in Syria and broader operations elsewhere.
Trump, spending the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago estate, has positioned himself as a defender of global Christian communities while pledging to avoid prolonged foreign entanglements—though his administration has pursued targeted strikes against perceived terrorist threats.
No independent confirmation of casualties or damage was immediately available, and details on the precise munitions used remain limited. The Pentagon released unclassified footage showing a missile launch from a naval vessel.
