President Trump listens throughout a ceremony for the presentation of the Mexican Border Protection Medal within the Oval Workplace of the White Home on December 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Pictures North America
conceal caption
toggle caption
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Pictures North America
President Trump introduced late Thursday that the U.S. had launched a “deadly strike” in opposition to Islamic State fighters in northwest Nigeria, who he mentioned had been killing Christians within the space.
In a Christmas night time put up on Fact Social, Trump mentioned the strike was directed at “ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not see 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,” he mentioned, including that U.S. forces had “executed numerous perfect strikes.”
“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper,” the president wrote. “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 follows a number of U.S. strikes final week in opposition to ISIS targets in Syria in response to what the U.S. Central Command described as a focused killing of two U.S. troopers and an interpreter by an ISIS gunman there.
Trump has accused Nigeria of failing to cease the persecution of Christians within the nation and final month he mentioned he ordered the Pentagon to attract up plans for attainable navy motion in opposition to Nigeria and warned the U.S. would droop support to the West African nation.
Nigeria is roughly evenly divided between Christians and Muslims. The Nigerian authorities says assaults by militant teams are much less about faith than the place these teams are positioned.
Final month, Nigeria mentioned it welcomed U.S. assist in preventing insurgents however that its territorial integrity should be revered, in keeping with Reuters.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) mentioned in a assertion it had “conducted a strike at the request of Nigerian authorities in Sokoto State killing multiple ISIS terrorists.”
In a put up on X, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned: “The @DeptofWar
is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation.”
To date, Nigerian officers haven’t formally commented on the reported strikes.
