Muhammad Basheer HotoroThe United States has carried out what it described as “powerful and deadly” air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in northwest Nigeria, following a request from the Nigerian government, according to US President Donald Trump and the US military.
Trump announced the operation late Thursday on his Truth Social platform, claiming the militant group had been targeting and killing Christians in the region.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist scum in Northwest Nigeria,” Trump said.
The US military’s Africa Command (Africom) confirmed that the strikes were carried out in Sokoto State in coordination with Nigerian authorities and resulted in the killing of multiple Islamic State fighters.
A video released by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile being launched from a US warship. A US defence official said the operation targeted known Islamic State camps in the area.
The air strikes come after Trump, in late October, warned that Christianity faces what he described as an “existential threat” in Nigeria. He had earlier threatened military intervention over what he said was Nigeria’s failure to halt attacks on Christian communities.
Reuters had reported earlier this week that the US had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes were part of ongoing security cooperation between Abuja and Washington.
In a post on X, the ministry said the collaboration involved intelligence sharing and strategic coordination, leading to what it described as “precision hits on terrorist targets” in northwest Nigeria.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the Nigerian government for its support, adding on X: “More to come.”
Nigeria’s government has maintained that armed groups in the country target both Muslims and Christians, arguing that US claims of Christian persecution oversimplify a complex security situation.
Nevertheless, Abuja has agreed to strengthen cooperation with the United States to bolster its military capacity against militant groups.
Nigeria’s population is roughly split between Muslims, who predominantly live in the north, and Christians, who are mostly in the south.
Earlier on Thursday, police said a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people and injured 35 others at a mosque in northeast Nigeria, another region long affected by Islamist insurgency.
In a Christmas message, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for peace, particularly among Nigerians of different religious beliefs.
“I stand committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence,” Tinubu said.
The Nigeria strikes follow separate large-scale US military operations last week against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria, launched after a suspected IS attack on US personnel there.
