Trump stated that the jihadists, whom he called "terrorist scum," "have been attacking and brutally killing mostly innocent Christians at a level not seen in many years, and even centuries."
US President Donald Trump announced on his social media that American military forces, acting on his orders, struck the jihadist group "Islamic State" in northwestern Nigeria, writes the BBC.
Trump stated that the jihadists, whom he called "terrorist scum," "have been attacking and brutally killing mostly innocent Christians at a level not seen in many years, and even centuries."
"I have previously warned these terrorists that if they do not stop killing Christians, they will have to pay a very high price, which is what happened," the US president wrote. "The Department of War [thus Trump renamed the American Department of Defense] delivered numerous perfect strikes, in a way only the United States can."
"May God bless our military and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead terrorists, of whom there will be many more if they do not stop killing Christians," Trump declared.
Trump did not specify which targets were struck.
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) stated on social network X that the strikes were conducted "at the request of Nigerian authorities."
Initially, the American military's message stated that the targets were in a state named "Sabota." There is no region with that name in Nigeria, but there is Sokoto State, located in the country's northwest, predominantly inhabited by a Muslim population; this region frequently experiences jihadist attacks, including against Christians.
Later, the American military deleted the initial post and in a new one provided the correct name of the state.
According to Africom, the strike killed "numerous ISIS terrorists."
"Lethal strikes against ISIS demonstrate the strength of our military and our commitment to neutralizing terrorist threats against Americans at home and abroad," Africom wrote.
What Nigeria says
Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the strikes were carried out as part of security cooperation with the United States.
"This resulted in high-precision airstrikes in northwestern Nigeria," the country's foreign ministry statement said.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said in an interview with the BBC that it was a "joint operation" targeting terrorists and "has nothing to do with any religion."
Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, but "decisions on this matter must be made by the leaders of both countries."
The Pentagon, meanwhile, published a video showing at least one missile being launched from a warship.
Reuters, citing an unnamed US defense official, writes that the strikes targeted militants located in known ISIS military camps identified by the US.
In November, Trump said that Nigerian authorities were unable to protect their Christians from jihadist attacks and ordered the American army to prepare for military action against Islamist militant groups in the country.
According to international human rights groups, there is no reason to believe that Christians are killed more often than Muslims in Nigeria – on average, the number of victims of violence among representatives of the two religions is similar.
Which militants operate in Nigeria
The Islamist militant groups "Boko Haram" and "Islamic State in West Africa" have been terrorizing residents of the country's northeast for over a decade. According to government data, tens of thousands of people have died at the hands of militants over the years.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said in an interview with the BBC that it was a "joint operation" targeting terrorists and "has nothing to do with any religion."
Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, but "decisions on this matter must be made by the leaders of both countries."
The Pentagon, meanwhile, published a video showing at least one missile being launched from a warship.
Reuters, citing an unnamed US defense official, writes that the strikes targeted militants located in known ISIS military camps identified by the US.
In November, Trump said that Nigerian authorities were unable to protect their Christians from jihadist attacks and ordered the American army to prepare for military action against Islamist militant groups in the country.
According to international human rights groups, there is no reason to believe that Christians are killed more often than Muslims in Nigeria – on average, the number of victims of violence among representatives of the two religions is similar.
Which militants operate in Nigeria
The Islamist militant groups "Boko Haram" and "Islamic State in West Africa" have been terrorizing residents of the country's northeast for over a decade. According to government data, tens of thousands of people have died at the hands of militants over the years.
In the 15 years since jihadists began military operations in the country's northeast, millions of people have been forced to leave their homes.
According to the monitoring group ACLED, since 2024, the number of people killed in jihadist attacks on farmers has more than doubled.
In central Nigeria, clashes also occur between predominantly Muslim herders and often Christian farmers over access to water and pastures.
Thousands of people have also fallen victim to such "eye for an eye" clashes, but according to human rights estimates, atrocities could have been committed by all sides of the conflicts, and there is no information that attacks were primarily directed against Christians.
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