The United States’ armed forces carried out powerful strikes targeting the Islamic State forces in northwest Nigeria, which US President Donald Trump said were carried out at the request of the Nigerian government that was “unable to rein in persecution of Christians in the region”.
“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!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday.
However, he did not provide details or mention the extent of the damage caused.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that precision air strikes by the United States hit terrorist targets” in the country’s northwest, and added that cooperation between the two countries included exchange of intelligence and strategic coordination in ways “consistent with international law, mutual respect for sovereignty and shared commitments to regional and global security”.
“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 said in a statement.
Also Read: Trump hints at US military action in Nigeria
The US military’s Africa Command said on X that strikes had been conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities and killed multiple ISIS terrorists.
“Lethal strikes against ISIS demonstrate the strength of our military and our commitment to eliminating terrorist threats against Americans at home and abroad,” wrote the US Africa Command on X.
Trump has been warning since October that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria which may require military intervention to be stopped. Last month, the US President had ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria, followed by the State Department restricting visas for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians there.
The US also designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.
“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,” Trump wrote on Thursday night from Florida, adding that US defence officials had “executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing” and added that “our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper”.
The Nigerian population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians living in the south and Muslims living primarily in the north. The country faces insurgency from various fronts, including the Boko Haram militant group, which seeks to establish radical Islamic law, targeting even Muslims that it deems “not Muslim enough”.
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