President Donald Trump announced late Thursday that the United States carried out a “deadly strike” against Islamic State fighters in northwest Nigeria, saying the militants had been targeting and killing Christians in the region.
In a Christmas night post on Truth Social, Trump said the attack was aimed at “ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria,” accusing them of “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians” at levels “not seen for many years, and even centuries.”
“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, adding that U.S. forces had “executed numerous perfect strikes.”
“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper,” he continued. “May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
The announcement came after multiple U.S. strikes last week against ISIS targets in Syria, which the U.S. Central Command said were carried out in response to the targeted killing of two U.S. soldiers and an interpreter by an ISIS gunman.
Trump has repeatedly accused Nigeria of failing to stop the persecution of Christians. Last month, he said he ordered the Pentagon to prepare plans for possible military action against the West African country and warned that U.S. aid could be suspended.
Nigeria is roughly evenly split between Christians and Muslims. The Nigerian government has said attacks by militant groups are driven more by geography and insurgent activity than by religion.
Last month, Nigeria said it welcomed U.S. assistance in fighting insurgents but stressed that its territorial integrity must be respected, according to Reuters.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) later confirmed the operation, saying it “conducted a strike at the request of Nigerian authorities in Sokoto State killing multiple ISIS terrorists.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the message in a post on X, writing: “The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation.”
Nigeria’s government has emphasized that the strike was carried out with its approval. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said Abuja shared intelligence with the U.S. ahead of the Christmas Day attack.
Speaking to Channels TV, Tuggar said he spoke twice with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — once for 19 minutes before the strike and briefly afterward — and said President Bola Tinubu authorized the operation.
Tuggar added that the strikes would be an “ongoing process” involving other countries, though he did not provide details. He insisted Nigeria’s fight against armed groups is not religiously motivated, saying it targets terrorism “whether Muslims or Christians, and irrespective of the type of terrorism.”
However, critics argue that Trump’s social media post — released hours before any official Nigerian statement — risks undermining that message.
Some Nigerians are now questioning whether the strike signals a deeper, long-term U.S. military role in the country. That uncertainty has raised concerns about what comes next — and whether Nigeria can meaningfully influence or limit future U.S. military operations in the region, or prevent them from escalating further.
