President Donald Trump announced that he ordered deadly military strikes against Islamic State terrorists in northwest Nigeria on Christmas evening, accusing them of killing Christians.
“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!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Trump described the attacks as deadly but did not further elaborate on details regarding the missile strikes. It is unclear how many people were killed in the strike.
“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,” he wrote. “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.”
Thursday evening’s missile strikes come after Trump and Republicans in congress raised alarms about the killings of Christians in Nigeria. Earlier this month the State Department restricted visas for Nigerians involved in the ethnic and religious violence.
Trump, who is currently spending the holidays at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, warned that there will be future attacks if the religious killings of Christians don’t end.
“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” he wrote.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the Nigerian government for “support” and “cooperation,” while re-emphasizing the president’s commitment to ending the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
“The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end,” he wrote on X. “The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas.”
“More to come…,” Hegseth added.
In November, Trump called on Hegseth to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria and warned that the U.S. would enter the country “guns-a-blazing” to protect the Christian population.
More than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria this year, according to human rights organization Intersociety.
TRUMP MUST EXTEND DEFENSE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BEYOND NIGERIA
Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act, meaning that the president found that the nation engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom.”
The Washington Examiner contacted the White House, State Department, and War Departments for comment.
