President Trump said Thursday that the U.S. launched “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country’s government of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.
“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!” Mr. Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “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.”
Mr. Trump did not provide further details on the strikes, such as how many people were killed, who or what was specifically targeted, or how many strikes were carried out, other than to say they were “numerous perfect strikes.”
However, U.S. Africa Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in Africa, said in a statement that its “initial assessment is that multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also posted on X: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. “The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation.”
The Defense Department posted to its X account an unclassified 9-second video that appeared to show a missile being launched from a military vessel.
In its own statement, Nigeria’s foreign ministry acknowledged the strikes and indicated that it was given advanced notice, saying that “Nigerian authorities remain engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorist and violent extremism. This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West.”
“Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security,” the ministry added.
In early November, Mr. Trump said that he had instructed the Pentagon to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria after he alleged that Nigeria’s government was not doing enough to combat the persecution of Christians there.
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