President Donald Trump has announced that the United States carried out what he described as a “powerful and deadly strike” against Islamic State (IS) militants in north-western Nigeria.
In a post on his Truth Social platform late Thursday, Mr Trump referred to IS as “terrorist scum” and accused the group of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians,” adding that under his leadership, the US would not allow “radical Islamic terrorism to prosper.”
The US Africa Command (Africom) later confirmed that the airstrikes were conducted on Thursday in Sokoto State and were carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, told the BBC that the operation was a joint effort targeting terrorists and stressed that it “has nothing to do with a particular religion.”
He added that further strikes could take place depending on decisions by the leadership of both countries.
In November, Mr Trump directed the US military to prepare for possible action in Nigeria to counter Islamist militant groups, although he did not specify at the time which attacks or killings prompted the move. Claims of a genocide against Christians in Nigeria have circulated in recent months within some right-wing circles in the United States.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed Nigeria’s role in the operation, saying he was “grateful for Nigerian government support and cooperation.” The US Department of Defense also released an unclassified video appearing to show a missile launch from a military vessel.
On Friday, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country remains engaged in “structured security co-operation with international partners, including the United States of America,” to address the ongoing threat of terrorism and violent extremism.
The ministry noted that this collaboration has resulted in “precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West.”
However, groups that monitor violence in Nigeria say there is no evidence to support claims that Christians are being killed more than Muslims in the country, which has an almost equal population of followers of both religions.
Source: BBC
