U.S. Launches Airstrikes Against ISIS in Nigeria to Protect Christian Communities

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The United States military carried out a series of "powerful and deadly" airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day, President Donald Trump and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed Thursday. The operation, authorised by the President from his Mar-a-Lago resort, targeted ISIS camps in Sokoto State following months of escalating tension over the alleged persecution of Christian communities in the West African nation.

In a statement released on Truth Social, President Trump framed the strike as a direct fulfillment of previous warnings, stating that the U.S. would not tolerate the "vicious killing" of innocent Christians. "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," the President wrote. AFRICOM officials confirmed that the precision strikes killed "multiple ISIS terrorists" and were conducted at the formal request of the Nigerian government, involving coordination between the two nations' security forces.

The Nigerian Foreign Ministry acknowledged the strikes early Friday, describing them as "precision hits" that form part of a "structured security cooperation" with Washington. While the Nigerian government has welcomed the military assistance, officials in Abuja have previously tempered the U.S. administration's rhetoric, noting that militant groups in the region frequently target both Muslim and Christian populations. The Christmas Day operation marks a significant military escalation in West Africa, with U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth signalling that further actions could follow if the threat to religious groups persists.