‘Merry Christmas to all’: Trump says US hit ISIS targets in Nigeria, warns of more

Palm Beach: President Donald Trump said US forces conducted "powerful and deadly" strikes Thursday against ISIS militants in northwestern Nigeria, after he warned the group to stop killing Christians in the country.

The Department of Defense said "multiple terrorists" were killed in an attack conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, but few details were provided.

Strikes carried out on Christmas Day

According to Trump, the strikes hit militant targets on Christmas Day.

“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,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

He added: “May God bless our Military,” before saying provocatively, “Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists — of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”

Pentagon and AFRICOM confirm operation

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a post on X that it conducted a strike “at the request of Nigerian authorities in Sokoto state, killing multiple terrorists.”

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also praised the Pentagon’s readiness to act, saying he was “grateful for Nigerian government support and cooperation.”

First US strike in Nigeria under Trump

The operation marks the first US military strike in Nigeria under Trump’s presidency. It follows remarks made by the Republican leader in October and November, when he accused Nigeria of allowing Christians to face an “existential threat” amounting to “genocide” amid the country’s multiple armed conflicts.

Concerns over religious framing

While some welcomed Washington’s diplomatic pressure, others warned it could inflame religious tensions in Africa’s most populous country, which has a history of sectarian violence.

Nigeria’s government and independent analysts reject framing the violence as religious persecution, a narrative long promoted by sections of the Christian right in the United States and Europe.

Nigeria back on US religious freedom watchlist

Despite this, Trump has repeatedly highlighted what his administration describes as global persecution of Christians, stressing that Washington is prepared to take military action to counter such killings.

Earlier this year, the United States placed Nigeria back on its list of countries of “particular concern” over religious freedom and imposed restrictions on visa issuance to Nigerian nationals.