US President Donald Trump has announced that American forces carried out what he called a “powerful and deadly strike” on Islamic State (IS) militants in north-western Nigeria, describing the extremists as “terrorist scum” who prey on innocent civilians.
According to Trump, the US military launched “numerous perfect strikes,” while US Africa Command later confirmed the operation took place in Sokoto State and was conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, told the BBC the action was a joint counter-terrorism effort, stressing that it was not tied to any particular religion. He explained that the mission had been in preparation “for quite some time,” relying heavily on intelligence provided by Nigeria. He added that further cooperation could follow, depending on future decisions by both governments.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated his stance that the US would not allow “Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.” He had previously directed the US military to prepare for possible action in Nigeria, amid claims circulating in some US political circles alleging persecution of Christians.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Nigeria for its cooperation and closed his social-media message with, “Merry Christmas!” The Pentagon later released a short unclassified video showing what appeared to be a missile launch from a military vessel.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry confirmed on Friday that the country continues structured security cooperation with partners such as the United States to address terrorism and violent extremism. This partnership, the ministry said, has led to “precision hits” on militant targets in the North.
Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have, for more than a decade, devastated communities in the north-east — with most victims identified as Muslims, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled).
Elsewhere in central Nigeria, recurring clashes between mostly Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities over land and resources have resulted in heavy casualties on all sides. Human-rights organisations say the evidence does not support claims that one faith group is being disproportionately targeted.
Trump also recently declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” under US law, citing what he described as an “existential threat” to Christians, though he did not provide supporting evidence. President Bola Tinubu responded that Nigeria remains committed to working with the US and other partners to safeguard citizens of all faiths, insisting the nation values religious tolerance.
While Nigeria confronts its own insurgencies, the US Central Command separately reported strikes on more than 70 militant targets across central Syria, involving fighter jets, helicopters and artillery, with Jordanian aircraft also taking part.
• Source: BBC
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