Former U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that American forces carried out what he described as “multiple precision strikes” against terrorist groups in northwestern Nigeria, accusing the militants of carrying out mass killings of Christians.
In a statement dated December 25, Trump said the operation was authorized by him in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief and targeted ISIS-affiliated fighters operating in areas plagued by prolonged violence and insecurity.
Trump alleged that the groups had been “brutally murdering, mainly innocent Christians,” claiming the scale of the killings was unprecedented in recent history. He said the militants had previously been warned to halt the violence or face severe repercussions.
“Tonight, under my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States carried out a powerful and deadly operation against ISIS terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria,” Trump said. “I warned them that if they continued the slaughter of Christians, there would be consequences—and tonight, those consequences came.”
He stated that the strikes were executed by the U.S. Department of War, describing them as “numerous flawless strikes,” and reiterated his stance that the United States would not tolerate what he called radical Islamic terrorism.
“May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to everyone, including the terrorists who were eliminated,” he added.
Nigeria’s government later acknowledged that strikes had taken place in parts of northern Nigeria, with the confirmation coming from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, officials did not disclose further details about the operation or clarify the level of Nigeria’s participation.
