The United States has carried out airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the operation as a “powerful and deadly strike” against “ISIS Terrorist Scum” in northwest Nigeria, accusing the group of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians”.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria… The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes,” Trump wrote, adding that “under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the strikes were conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities in Sokoto State, killing multiple ISIS terrorists.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed gratitude for the Nigerian government’s support and cooperation, posting on X: “Merry Christmas!”
The US Department of Defense released a short video showing a missile launch from a military vessel.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar described it as a “joint operation” targeting terrorists, emphasising that it “has nothing to do with a particular religion”. He said the operation had been planned for some time using Nigerian intelligence and did not rule out further strikes.
The Nigerian foreign ministry stated that authorities “remain engaged in structured security co-operation” with the US, leading to “precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West.”
The strikes follow Trump’s earlier warnings, including designating Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over alleged threats to its Christian population and ordering military preparations in November.
However, groups monitoring violence in Nigeria, which is roughly evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, say there is no evidence that Christians are disproportionately targeted compared to Muslims.
Jihadist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have caused devastation in the northeast for over a decade, killing thousands—mostly Muslims, according to analysts. In central Nigeria, clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers over resources have also led to deadly violence on both sides.
Human rights organisations maintain that atrocities are committed by multiple parties and are not evidence of targeted genocide against Christians.
An adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has previously stated that jihadists do not target one religion and that security challenges affect people across faiths.
Last week, the US conducted separate large-scale strikes against ISIS targets in Syria.