The US has launched airstrikes against Islamic State militant “scum” in Nigeria, Donald Trump has said.
US Africa Command said the strikes were conducted “in coordination with Nigerian authorities” in Sokoto State, while a US official told the Reuters news agency the strikes killed multiple targets.
Announcing the military intervention on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “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!
“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.
“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”
On X, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end.
“The @DeptofWar [Department of War] is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come…”
He added he was grateful to the Nigerian government for its “support and cooperation”.
Following the updates from US officials, Nigeria’s foreign ministry confirmed that precision air strikes by the US had hit “terrorist targets” in the country’s north west.
It said the country was cooperating with the US in “addressing the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism”.
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Mr Trump said last month that he’d ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following reports of Christian persecution.
His government also designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act and said it would restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians in the West African country.
Nigeria’s population is split between Muslims living primarily in the north and Christians in the south.
The Nigerian government previously said Mr Trump’s claims that Christians face persecution there is a misrepresentation of the country’s complex security challenges, and that armed groups also target Muslims – but it has agreed to work with the US to bolster its forces against terrorist activity.
After the US strikes, Nigeria’s foreign ministry said: “Nigeria reiterates that all counter-terrorism efforts are guided by the primacy of protecting civilian lives, safeguarding national unity, and upholding the rights and dignity of all citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity. 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.”
Last month, one of the country’s biggest mass abduction saw more than 300 students taken from a catholic school in northern Nigeria. They were all freed by 22 December.
