President Donald Trump has said United States forces carried out what he described as “numerous” deadly strikes against Islamic State (IS) fighters in northwestern Nigeria, warning that further attacks would follow if militants continue killing Christians.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump said the strikes were executed on Christmas Day, claiming they targeted IS positions. Without giving operational details, he stated that “the Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes” against the group.
“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. He praised the US military for the operation, adding, “May God bless our military,” and controversially wished “Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists.”
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) later confirmed in a post on X that American forces conducted a strike in Nigeria at the request of Nigerian authorities, saying the operation killed multiple ISIS fighters. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also commended the military action, expressing gratitude for the Nigerian government’s support and cooperation.
The strikes are the first publicly acknowledged US military action in Nigeria under Trump’s leadership. They come months after the Republican president sharply criticised Nigeria in October and November, alleging that Christians in the country face an “existential threat” amounting to “genocide” amid widespread insecurity.
While some welcomed Washington’s renewed focus on Nigeria’s security challenges, others warned that such rhetoric could inflame religious tensions in Africa’s most populous nation, which has a history of sectarian violence.
Nigeria’s government and several independent analysts have rejected characterising the country’s security crisis as religious persecution, arguing instead that the violence is driven by a complex mix of terrorism, banditry, criminality and long-standing socio-economic factors.
