The United States carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria’s government, U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday, claiming the group had been targeting Christians in the region.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched 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!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
His post went on to say U.S. defence officials had “executed numerous perfect strikes.”
The U.S. military’s Africa Command said on X that the strikes were conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities and killed multiple ISIS militants in Sokoto state.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on X thanked the Nigerian government for its support and co-operation and added: “More to come…Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation,” before signing off, “Merry Christmas!”
Nigeria’s foreign ministry said early Friday morning local time that precision air strikes hit “terrorist targets” in the country’s northwest. It added that it remains engaged with Washington in “structured security cooperation.”
The strikes come after Trump began warning in late October that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria. He threatened military intervention in the West African country over what he said was its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities.
Reuters reported on Monday that the U.S. had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November.
Nigeria’s government has said armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, and U.S. claims that Christians face persecution do not represent a complex security situation and ignore efforts to safeguard religious freedom. But it has agreed to work with the U.S. to bolster its forces against militant groups.
Source: CBC
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