US Hit 'Islamic State' In Nigeria On Christmas Day: New Details
- 26.12.2025, 9:49
The Pentagon chief said that "the sequel follows."
The United States on December 25 struck the Islamic State group's facilities in northwestern Nigeria at the request of the country's government, US President Donald Trump and the US military said. They claimed the militants had targeted the region's Christian population, writes Reuters.
"Tonight, on my orders as Commander-in-Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIL terrorist scum in northwestern Nigeria who have been targeting and brutally murdering peaceful Christians - on a scale not seen in years, if not centuries," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The U.S. Armed Forces Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the strike was carried out in Sokoto state in coordination with Nigerian authorities and killed several ISIS militants. In an earlier statement published in X, AFRICOM indicated that the operation was carried out at the direct request of Nigeria, but the post was later deleted.
The blowback followed on the heels of Trump's statements in late October, when he began warning of an "existential threat" to Christianity in Nigeria and even threatened U.S. military intervention. He said Nigerian authorities were allegedly failing to protect Christian communities from violence.
Reuters earlier reported that the United States had been conducting reconnaissance flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, gathering intelligence.
The Nigerian Foreign Ministry said the strike was part of ongoing security cooperation between Abuja and Washington. It includes intelligence sharing and strategic coordination against armed extremist groups.
"This cooperation has already resulted in pinpoint airstrikes against terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria," the Nigerian foreign ministry said in a statement to X.
The Pentagon released a video showing at least one munition being fired from a warship. A U.S. Defense Department spokesman specified that the target of the strike was several militants in known ISIS camps.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the Nigerian government for its support and cooperation and added a short but unequivocal phrase in X: "Continued to follow."
Nigeria's population is about evenly divided between Muslims, who live mostly in the north, and Christians, concentrated mostly in the south.