President Donald Trump has announced the U.S. military conducted deadly strikes against ISIS targets in Nigeria after the group was accused of targeting Christians.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” the president wrote in a Truth Social post the evening of Christmas Day.
“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 continued.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing. Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. 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.”
A Defense Department official told The Independent the U.S. worked with Nigeria to carry out the strikes and they’d been approved by that country’s government.
The Associated Press reports Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the cooperation included exchange of intelligence and strategic coordination in ways “consistent with international law, mutual respect for sovereignty and shared commitments to regional and global security.”
“Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security,” the ministry said in a statement.
Nigeria’s government has previously said in response to Trump’s criticisms that people of many faiths, not just Christians, have suffered attacks at the hands of extremists groups.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also posted online about the strikes.
Hegseth said in a post on X, “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas.”
The defense secretary added, “Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
The Defense Department, which Trump has pushed to re-name the Department of War, posted video on X alongside a copy of the president’s comments.
U.S Africa Command said in a post on X, “At the direction of the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, and in coordination with Nigerian authorities, U.S. Africa Command conducted strikes against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria on Dec. 25, 2025, in Sokoto State.”
The Independent has reached out to the White House for more information about the strikes.
Last month, Trump said he was instructing the Defense Department to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria, claiming the nation’s government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
He also declared that Nigeria is a “country of particular concern.” The U.S. government uses this designation for nations determined to have committed “particularly severe violations of religious freedom,” according to the State Department’s website.
Trump said in November, “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Nigeria’s population of 220 million people is mostly split between Christians and Muslims. There are also armed insurgent groups operating in the nation, including the Islamic extremist organization Boko Haram, which has also targeted Muslims, The AP reports.
Much of northern Nigeria has been struck by conflict in an ongoing security crisis and Trump has singled the country out for what he calls “the killing of Christians” by “radical Islamists.”
Victims and church leaders have reiterated Trump’s claims that Christians are persecuted, saying they’ve long been attacked, kidnapped or killed over their faith.
But many insist the reality isn’t that simple, with experts and residents saying most attacks emphasize the widespread violence that has long plagued the West African nation, where everyone is a potential victim, regardless of background or belief.
With reporting from the Associated Press.
What to know about the militants targeted by US airstrikes in northwest Nigeria
Trump rants about Epstein in Christmas Day post
Jimmy Kimmel launches attack on Trump in Christmas message
Photos show Venezuelan migrants spending Christmas at home after abandoning hope of reaching the US
Nicki Minaj quits Instagram after outrage over appearance at Turning Point conference
CNN panel identifies 2028 Democratic frontrunners - with a new name added to the mix
