PALM BEACH, Dec 26: The United States carried out a targeted airstrike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government, U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday.
Announcing the operation on Christmas Day, President Trump said the strike was aimed at Islamic State fighters accused of carrying out violent attacks against civilians in the region.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, claiming the group had been “viciously killing innocent people.”
U.S. military officials confirmed the strike, describing it as part of ongoing cooperation with Nigerian authorities to counter militant groups operating in the country’s northwest.
According to a Reuters report earlier this week, the United States has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, indicating heightened monitoring of militant activity in the region.
Nigeria has repeatedly maintained that armed groups in the country target both Muslims and Christians, and officials have cautioned against oversimplifying the security situation. However, Abuja has agreed to work closely with Washington to strengthen counter-terrorism operations and enhance the capacity of its security forces.
Nigeria’s population is broadly divided between a predominantly Muslim north and a largely Christian south, with militant violence affecting communities across religious lines.
President Trump issued his statement while spending Christmas at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. He had no public engagements during the holiday.
Further details about the damage assessment or casualties from the strike were not immediately available.