WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced this week that the U.S. launched a “deadly strike” against Islamic State fighters. The U.S. launched attacks in northwest Nigeria, where Trump says the fighters had been killing Christians.
Trump announced the strike via a post on Truth Social. He said the strike targeted “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!”
“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 stated. Trump additionally mentioned that U.S. forces had “executed numerous perfect strikes.”
The announcement comes after the U.S. struck ISIS targets in Syria last week. An ISIS gunman killed two U.S. soldiers and an interpreter, leading to the U.S. response.
Trump has accused Nigeria of not doing enough to stop the persecution of Christians in the country. Last month, he claimed to have instructed the Pentagon to develop plans for potential military action against the West African Country. He also threatened to suspend U.S. aid to it.
“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper,” Trump wrote. “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.”
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) issued a statement explaining its actions, stating that it had “conducted a strike at the request of Nigerian authorities in Sokoto State killing multiple ISIS terrorists.”
Nigeria’s government has also disclosed its involvement in the strike. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar expressed that Nigeria shared intelligence with the U.S. before the attack.
Tuggar went on Nigeria’s Channels TV and informed that he spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio twice. Additionally, he shared that President Bola Tinubu granted the ability.
