United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has disclosed that President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to prioritise the protection of Christians in Nigeria targeted by ISIS-linked groups.
Speaking during a press conference at the White House on Wednesday, Hegseth said Trump issued the directive about a year ago after receiving reports of attacks against Christians in Nigeria.
According to him, the U.S. President instructed the War Department to take steps toward protecting vulnerable Christian communities facing violent attacks from extremist groups operating in the country.
“Maybe a year ago, he heard the call of Nigerian Christians who were being targeted and killed by ISIS in Nigeria, and he said, ‘Pete, I want the War Department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians,’” Hegseth stated.
The U.S. defence chief explained that the effort involved covert coordination and the deployment of military assets in collaboration with Nigerian authorities.
“And we got the assets there, and over the last month, and there hasn’t been much coverage of this, we killed ISIS number two in Nigeria, who’s most responsible for killing Christians and trying to target the U.S. homeland,” he said.
Hegseth disclosed that intelligence gathered during the operation contributed to the elimination of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as ISIS’s second-in-command, during a joint operation involving U.S. and Nigerian forces in the Lake Chad Basin.
Nova News had earlier reported that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was killed in a coordinated U.S.-Nigeria military operation in northeast Nigeria earlier this month.
According to Hegseth, the operation also resulted in the deaths of hundreds of ISIS fighters allegedly linked to attacks on Christians in Nigeria and threats against the United States.
“And have since, because of the intel we gathered, killed hundreds of ISIS members who were targeting and killing Christians in Nigeria,” he added.
Hegseth maintained that the operation demonstrated the Trump administration’s commitment to counterterrorism efforts and the protection of vulnerable communities.
“So there are a lot of things we do that the media pays attention to, and a lot of things that the president empowers the department to do on behalf of the American people that he deserves great credit for,” he said.
