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BREAKING: President Trump announces “powerful and deadly” strikes on ISIS in Nigeria
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the United States carried out what he described as “powerful and deadly strikes” against ISIS-linked militants operating in Nigeria.
In a statement posted Thursday on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the operation was carried out “at my direction as Commander in Chief,” targeting ISIS fighters he accused of “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians” in the country.
According to Trump, the strikes were executed by what he referred to as the “Department of War,” which he claimed conducted “numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.” He did not provide details on the timing, location, method, or scale of the alleged military action, nor has the U.S. Department of Defense issued an official confirmation.
Trump alleged that ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria had been targeting Christians “at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries,” warning that further attacks would result in additional U.S. military action.
“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper,” Trump wrote, ending his message with a Christmas greeting and praise for the U.S. military.
Nigeria has been at the centre of international debate over claims that Christians are being systematically targeted, particularly in the Middle Belt and northern regions. Islamist insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have carried out mass killings, kidnappings, and attacks on civilians of different religious backgrounds, alongside widespread banditry and communal violence.
While some Christian advocacy groups and U.S. lawmakers have described the violence as a “genocide” against Christians, Nigerian authorities strongly reject that characterisation. The federal government maintains that the crisis is driven by a complex mix of terrorism, criminal activity, land disputes, and poverty rather than an organised campaign of religious extermination.
In October, Trump previously announced on Truth Social that he had designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing what he called an “existential threat to Christianity.”
Nigeria’s government swiftly rejected that designation. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government said Trump’s remarks did not accurately reflect realities on the ground.
“These claims do not reflect the situation in Nigeria,” the statement said. “Nigerians of all faiths have long lived, worked, and worshipped together peacefully.”
Nigeria has been battling Boko Haram and affiliated groups in the northeast for over a decade. In recent years, attacks have spread into parts of the North Central region, with churches, schools, and rural communities increasingly targeted, leading to mass abductions and displacement.
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