President Donald Trump. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP
United States President Donald Trump has said the US military carried out a major airstrike against ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria, framing the operation as a direct response to what he described as sustained attacks on Christians in the region.
In a statement posted on X on Christmas night, Trump said the operation was personally authorised by him in his role as Commander in Chief.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist scum in northwest Nigeria,” he wrote.
Trump linked the military action to religiously motivated violence, claiming the targeted militants had been responsible for mass killings.
“They have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries,” the US president said in the statement.
He added that the strike followed earlier warnings issued by his administration and signalled that further action could follow.
“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,” Trump stated.
The US president praised the American military, saying the operation involved multiple precision strikes and underscored Washington’s approach to counterterrorism under his leadership.
He also reiterated his long-held position that the United States would not allow extremist groups to operate with impunity.
Trump’s statement ended with a Christmas message and strong language directed at the militants killed in the strike, a tone that has drawn attention for its mix of holiday greetings and military rhetoric.
While Trump’s remarks focus heavily on the protection of Christians, violence in parts of northern Nigeria has often involved a complex mix of extremist insurgency, banditry, and communal conflict affecting different religious and ethnic communities.