The commander-in-chief stated, “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes,” on Christmas Day, targeting IS positions, without giving specifics.
“I’ve previously warned these terrorists that if they didn’t stop slaughtering Christians, there’d be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“May God bless our military,” he said, adding provocatively, “MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there’ll be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
US Africa Command said in an X post they conducted a strike “at the request of Nigerian authorities… killing multiple ISIS terrorists.”
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth took to X to praise the department’s readiness to act in Nigeria, saying he was “grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation.”
The attacks mark the first by US forces in Nigeria under Trump, following his criticism of the West African nation in October and November, saying Christians faced an “existential threat” amounting to “genocide” amid Nigeria’s various armed conflicts.
The diplomatic move was welcomed by some but seen by others as fuelling religious tensions in Africa’s most populous country, which has seen bouts of sectarian violence.
Nigeria’s government and analysts reject framing the violence as religious persecution – a narrative used by the Christian right in the US and Europe.
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