CNN
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President Donald Trump said Thursday that he ordered a deadly attack against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria, whom he has accused of persecuting Christians in that country.
In a social media post, Trump claimed that he had ordered a “powerful and lethal attack against ISIS members in northwest Nigeria,” who he claimed had been killing innocent Christians.
He United States Africa Command reported that the attack, carried out at the request of Nigerian authorities in Sokoto state, which borders Niger to the north, caused the death of several suspected ISIS members.
“I had previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughter of Christians, there would be consequences, and tonight there were,” he continued. “The Department of Defense executed several precise strikes, as only the United States is capable of.”
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical Islamist terrorism to prosper. May God bless our Armed Forces and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of whom there will be many more if they continue the slaughter of Christians!” concluded the president, who is spending the Christmas holidays at his Palm Beach residence.
In a publication apart on social networksSecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed his “gratitude for the support and cooperation of the Nigerian Government.”
Trump has focused in recent months on the situation of Christians in Nigeria, including calling in November for his defense secretary to “prepare for possible action” and warning that the US would intervene in Nigeria “with everything” to protect the Christian population of Africa’s most populous country.
On Christmas Eve, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu shared a “Christmas goodwill message” in which he wished Merry Christmas to Christians in his country and around the world, and called for peace between people of different religious beliefs.
“I am committed to doing everything possible to ensure religious freedom in Nigeria and protect Christians, Muslims and all Nigerians from violence,” Tinubu wrote in X.
Nigeria has been facing serious security problems for years, driven by various factors, including religiously motivated attacks. Observers point out that there are also violent conflicts derived from community and ethnic tensions, as well as disputes between farmers and herders over access to natural resources.
In the fall, Trump accused Nigeria of violating religious freedom, claimed that “Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria,” and designated the country as a “Nation of Special Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Law. This designation suggests that his Government believes that Nigeria has engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing and serious violations of religious freedom.”
Both Christians and Muslims — the two main religious groups in the country, which has more than 230 million inhabitants — have been victims of attacks by Islamic extremists, according to experts and analysts.
The plight of Christians in Nigeria has been a recurring issue for American conservatives for years. Some of Trump’s top allies, such as Senator Ted Cruz, have called for US intervention in recent months, arguing that the Nigerian government is not doing enough to prevent attacks against Christians.
Trump has presented himself as a peacemaker and came to power promising to limit US military intervention abroad. However, since his return to power, he has also ordered attacks against Iran’s nuclear program and supervised a large military deployment around Venezuela with the threat of possible ground attacks in that country.
This story has been updated with additional details.
