US launches strikes against Islamic State in Nigeria

2025-12-26 07:38:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Donald Trump has announced that the United States has launched a powerful attack against the Islamic State (ISIS) group in northwestern Nigeria.

Trump described ISIS as a "terrorist scum" while accusing the group of targeting and killing, mostly, innocent Christians. Trump said the US military carried out multiple strikes, while the US Africa Command (Africom) later reported that Thursday's attack was carried out in coordination with Nigeria in Sokoto state.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said it was a joint operation targeting terrorists and had nothing to do with any particular religion. Without specifically mentioning ISIS, Tuggar said the operation had been planned for a long time and had used intelligence provided by the Nigerian side. The minister did not rule out further attacks, adding that this depended on decisions to be taken by the leadership of both countries.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump said that under his leadership, the United States will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to flourish. In November, Trump ordered the U.S. military to prepare for action in Nigeria to combat Islamist militant groups. He did not say at the time which killings he was referring to, but claims of a genocide against Nigerian Christians have circulated in recent months in some right-wing circles in the United States.

Trump previously announced that he had declared Nigeria a "Country of Special Concern" due to the existential threat posed to its Christian population.

Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province have wreaked havoc in northeastern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands of people — though most of them have been Muslims, according to Acled, a group that analyzes political violence around the world. In central Nigeria, there are also frequent clashes between mainly Muslim herders and farming groups, who are often Christian, over access to water and pasture.

The cycles of mutual attacks have also seen thousands killed, but atrocities have been committed by both sides. Groups monitoring the violence say there is no evidence to suggest that Christians are being killed more than Muslims in Nigeria. Last week, the US said it had carried out a “massive strike” against ISIS in Syria.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria. Planes from Jordan also participated in the attack. /CNA