President Trump said Thursday that the U.S. launched “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country’s government of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.
“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!” Mr. Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “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.”
Mr. Trump did not provide further details on the strikes, such as how many people were killed, who or what was specifically targeted, or how many strikes were carried out, other than to say they were “numerous perfect strikes.”
However, U.S. Africa Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in Africa, said in a statement that its “initial assessment is that multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also posted on X: “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.”
The Defense Department posted to its X account an unclassified 9-second video that appeared to show a missile being launched from a military vessel.
In its own statement, Nigeria’s foreign ministry acknowledged the strikes and indicated that it was given advanced notice, saying that “Nigerian authorities remain engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorist and violent extremism. This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West.”
“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 added.
In early November, Mr. Trump said that he had instructed the Pentagon to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria after he alleged that Nigeria’s government was not doing enough to combat the persecution of Christians there.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” Mr. Trump wrote on Nov. 1.
In response at the time, Hegseth wrote on social media that the “Department of War” — the Trump administration’s preferred term for the Defense Department — was “preparing for action.”
This comes about a week after the U.S. conducted a series of strikes on ISIS targets in Syria in response to the killing of two U.S. soldiers and an interpreter.
Mr. Trump in November also said he would be designating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
Designating a “country of particular concern” under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act is an executive prerogative that normally follows recommendations from both the congressionally mandated U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the State Department.
The State Department usually releases its annual Report on International Religious Freedom in the spring, but has not yet done so this year. The report may or may not include “particular concern” designations, which can be done at any time. And, such designations, which authorize U.S. penalties, do not necessarily impose sanctions.
The Nigerian government has rejected Mr. Trump’s claims that it is not doing enough to protect Christians from violence. Analysts have said that while Christians are among those targeted, the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur. Earlier Thursday, at least five people were killed and dozens more injured in an explosion at a mosque in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu previously said on social media that the characterization of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country does not reflect the national reality.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu said. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”
Nigeria was first placed on the “country of particular concern” list by the U.S. in 2020 in what the State Department called “systematic violations of religious freedom.” But the designation did not single out attacks on Christians. The designation was lifted in 2023 in what many saw as a way to improve ties between the countries ahead of a visit by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
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