Donald Trump announced a ‘powerful and deadly’ Christmas Day strike on ISIS ‘terrorist scum’ in Nigeria and warned that radicals will continue to pay for the persecution of Christians.
The president, who previously threatened to send the US military to the West African nation ‘guns-a-blazing,’ made the announcement in a Truth Social post Thursday evening.
‘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 wrote.
A spokesperson for the Pentagon confirmed to The Daily Mail that the Nigerian government approved of and worked with the US military on the strikes.
The US Africa Command posted on X that it had ‘conducted a strike at the request of Nigerian authorities in Soboto State killing multiple ISIS terrorists.’
Nigeria’s foreign ministry said the strikes were carried out as part of ongoing security cooperation with the United States, involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to target militant groups.
‘This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West,’ the ministry said in a post on X.
A video posted by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile launched from a warship. A US defense official said the strike targeted multiple militants at known ISIS camps.
Donald Trump announced a ‘powerful and deadly’ ChristmasDay strike on ISIS ‘terrorist scum’ in Nigeria and warned that radicals will continue to pay for the persecution of Christians
Trump said in his lengthy post that the ISIS militants have had it coming for some time.
‘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,’ Trump added.
The president signed off with a warning for the terrorists that they will continue to pay if the murder of innocent Christians goes on.
‘May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.’
The president’s post did not include information about how the strike was carried out and what effects it had and the White House did not immediately provide further details.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth affirmed the president’s message in a social media post of his own.
‘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. Merry Christmas!’
Nigeria has been roiled by internal violence in the wake of a jihadist insurgency spearheaded by extremist group Boko Haram in the northeast since 2009.
In November, Trump threatened to take on the terrorists with ‘guns-a-blazing.’
Trump, 79, had already designated Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern,’ but he took his condemnation of the situation in the country even further after hearing about it on Fox News, threatening to cut aid and even send in US troops.
Some Christian communities have welcomed the US president’s menace, believing that foreign armies are needed to restore peace in their homeland.
Amid the various forms of bloodletting around the country – including ethnic rivalry and banditry – the Islamist militants have been slaughtering Christians as well as Muslims they regard as ‘apostates’ for failing to comply with their brand of Islam.
There has also been a separate onslaught by Fulani Muslim tribesmen against mainly Christian farming communities, a protracted crisis linked to a tangle of issues like religion, ethnicity and a scramble over the dwindling supply of arable land.
While Christians are among those targeted, analysts say the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur, according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s threat, which came after he watched a Fox News segment about the conflict in Nigeria, triggered alarm bells across West Africa.
Anonymous sources from the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), which directs American military operations across the continent, told the Washington Post Trump’s announcement prompted concern.
They said a US military operation in an area where there is little US intelligence was unlikely to make a difference, and leaders called for their sovereignty to be respected.
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