The United States carried out an airstrike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria’s government, President Donald Trump and the US military said on Thursday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the operation targeted ISIS fighters who had been “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians” in the region. He described the attack as a decisive response ordered in his role as commander-in-chief.
The US military’s US Africa Command said the strike was conducted in Nigeria’s Sokoto state in coordination with Nigerian authorities and resulted in the deaths of multiple Islamic State militants. An earlier statement noting the strike was carried out at Nigeria’s request was later removed from the command’s social media account.
The operation follows weeks of heightened rhetoric from Trump, who in October warned that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and suggested possible US military action if violence against Christian communities continued. Reuters has reported that the US has been flying intelligence-gathering missions over large parts of Nigeria since late November.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry confirmed the strike, saying it was part of ongoing security cooperation with the United States, including intelligence sharing and strategic coordination against militant groups.
“This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West,” the ministry said in a post on X.
Footage released by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile being launched from a warship. A US defence official said the strike hit known Islamic State camps and targeted multiple militants.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation, adding on X: “More to come…”
Nigeria’s government has consistently said armed groups in the country target both Muslims and Christians, arguing that US claims of systematic persecution oversimplify a complex security situation. Still, Abuja has agreed to deepen cooperation with Washington to strengthen its response to militant violence.
Nigeria’s population is roughly divided between Muslims, who mainly live in the north, and Christians, who are concentrated in the south.
Earlier on Thursday, police said a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people and wounded dozens at a mosque in northeastern Nigeria, another region long affected by Islamist insurgencies.
In a Christmas message, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called for peace and pledged to protect religious freedom. “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,” he said.
Trump announced the strike on Christmas Day while spending the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The operation follows recent large-scale US strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria after a suspected ISIS attack on American personnel there.
