Trump Says US Carried Out ‘Numerous’ Deadly Strikes on IS Targets in Nigeria

Former US President Donald Trump has said American forces carried out multiple deadly airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) fighters in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day, warning that further attacks would follow if the militants continued killing Christians.

Trump made the claim on Thursday without giving operational details, stating that “the Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes” against IS positions.

“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 his Truth Social platform.

He added, “May God Bless our Military,” and said, “MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”

Confirming US involvement, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a post on X that it conducted a strike “at the request of Nigerian authorities… killing multiple ISIS terrorists.”

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also praised the operation, saying on X that he was “grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation,” while commending the Pentagon’s readiness to act.

The strikes are reported to be the first US military action in Nigeria under Trump and follow his earlier comments in October and November, when he accused Nigeria of allowing what he described as an “existential threat” to Christians, which he labelled “genocide.”

While some welcomed the remarks as drawing attention to insecurity, others warned that such rhetoric could inflame religious tensions in Africa’s most populous nation, which has a history of sectarian violence.

The Nigerian government and several independent analysts have consistently rejected framing the country’s security challenges as religious persecution, arguing instead that the violence is driven by complex criminal and insurgent dynamics rather than faith-based targeting.

Opinion Nigeria News