The United States carried out an airstrike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, saying the group had been targeting Christians in the region.
"Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched 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!," Trump said in a social media post.
The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the strike was carried out in Sokoto state at the request of the Nigerian authorities, and killed multiple ISIS militants.
The strike comes after Trump starting in late October began warning that Christianity faces an "existential threat" in Nigeria and threatened to militarily intervene in the West African country over what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities.
The US had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, Reuters reported.
Separately, the U.S. military last week launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria, after Trump vowed to hit back in the wake of a suspected ISIS attack on U.S. personnel in the country.
Nigeria Confirms Cooperation
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on X thanked the Nigerian government for its support and cooperation and added: “More to come...”
A video posted by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile launching from a warship.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry said the strikes were carried out as part of ongoing security cooperation with the United States, involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to target militant groups. "This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West," the ministry said in a post on X.
Nigeria's population is split between Muslims living primarily in the north and Christians in the south.
Police said earlier on Thursday a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people and injured 35 others in Nigeria's northeast, another region troubled by Islamist insurgents.
In a Christmas message posted on X earlier, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for peace in his country, "especially between individuals of differing religious beliefs." He also said, “I stand committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence.”