President Donald Trump announced on Dec. 25 that the U.S. military had attacked Islamic State targets in Nigeria, claiming the group had been targeting Christians in the region.
In a post on Truth Social, the president said he directed the military to launch 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!”
In a post on X, the U.S. military’s Africa Command confirmed it had conducted a strike that killed multiple militants at the request of Nigerian authorities. The strike occurred in “Soboto state,” an apparent reference to Sokoto state, the post said.
Trump in recent months has made frequent references to what he called the plight of Christians in Nigeria, and his United Nations ambassador even invited pop star Nicki Minaj to address the issue at the U.N. General Assembly.
“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 continued, adding that the Pentagon conducted “numerous perfect” strikes against Islamic State targets in the region.
Nigeria has been fighting Islamic State forces in the northwest.
In a Christmas message to troops, Nigerian Air Marshal Kelvin Aneke, the air force chief of staff, had urged his forces to “not leave any stone unturned in the quest to subdue terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality within the northwest region,” local Channels TV reported.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the Nigerian government for its support and cooperation in a post on X, adding that there was “more to come…”
“This situation for Christians in Nigeria has been reaching a breaking point,” McDowell said in a post on X. “Persecution of Christians must never stand.”
The president’s announcement comes after the U.S. military launched airstrikes on several ISIS targets in Syria on Dec. 19, following the deaths of two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter. In November, Trump had threatened possible military action in Nigeria over the alleged “killing of Christians” in the country.
Trump previously warned Nigeria of military action
In early November, Trump said in a Truth Social post that he directed the Pentagon to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria after he alleged that Nigeria’s government was not doing enough to protect Christians in the country.
The president threatened to immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria. At the time, he noted that the U.S. military may go into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
“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!” Trump said in his post.
Trump’s warning came after he accused Nigeria of religious freedom violations on Oct. 31, saying that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” subsequently designating the nation as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act, CNN and The Associated Press reported.
Trump’s allegations have been backed by Minaj, who is using her platform to work with UN ambassador Mike Waltz on the treatment of Christians in Nigeria. Minaj joined Waltz on Nov. 18 to speak about the violence in the country.
‘A gross exaggeration’: Nigerian government rejected Trump’s claims
Following Trump’s designation, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on Nov. 1 that the characterization of Nigeria as “religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.”
Tinubu added that the Nigerian government is “committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on [the] protection of communities of all faiths.”
Nigeria’s government has said armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, while the Trump administration claims that Christians face persecution do not represent a complex security situation and ignore efforts to safeguard religious freedom. The country’s population is split between Muslims living primarily in the north and Christians in the south.
On Christmas Eve, five people were killed in a suicide bombing targeting a mosque in the town of Maiduguri, in Nigeria’s Borno State, that officials attributed to the Boko Haram militant group.
In response to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who condemned the “slaughter of thousands of Christians,” Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s press secretary, called the characterization “a gross exagg
eration of the Nigerian situation,” adding that “Christians, Muslims, churches and mosques are attacked randomly.”
Credit; Yahoo News