Donald Trump has stated that the United States conducted airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria on Thursday, after spending weeks condemning the group for targeting Christians.
The president stated in a message on his Truth Social platform: “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!
“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. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.”
The US military's Africa Command stated that the strike was carried out in Sokoto state in collaboration with Nigerian authorities. An earlier statement by the command on X stated that the strike was carried out at the request of Nigerian officials, but this remark was later removed. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth expressed gratitude for "the Nigerian government's support and cooperation," the Guardian reported.
Nigeria's foreign ministry stated that the strikes were carried out as part of continuous security cooperation with the United States, which includes intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to target 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.
Donald Trump has in the past indicated that he might order a forceful US military intervention in Nigeria, arguing that the Nigerian authorities have failed to stop attacks on Christians by Islamist groups.
Nigeria, which is constitutionally secular, has a population that is almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence affecting Christian communities has attracted strong international attention, particularly from conservative religious groups in the US, and is frequently described as religious persecution.
The Nigerian government, however, has pushed back against this characterisation, maintaining that armed groups attack both Muslims and Christians. It has said that claims from the US about persecution oversimplify a complex security challenge and overlook the state’s efforts to protect religious freedom.
At the same time, the government has acknowledged the need for cooperation with Washington and has previously agreed to work with the US to strengthen its security forces against militant groups.
Analysts have stressed that the violence has deep historical and structural roots. In several regions, conflicts between largely Muslim nomadic herders and mostly Christian farming communities are linked to competition over land and water rather than religion alone.
Clergy have increasingly been abducted for ransom, though some experts argue these kidnappings are driven more by criminal motives than by religious targeting.