Photo Credit: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
2025-12-25 19:00:00
In a Christmas Day post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said he had ordered what he described as a “powerful and deadly strike” on ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria, accusing the group of “targeting and viciously killing” Christians.
In a separate public release, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said it conducted strikes against ISIS terrorists on Dec. 25 in Sokoto State, in coordination with Nigerian authorities, adding that its initial assessment was that multiple ISIS fighters were killed at ISIS camps, while withholding additional details for operational security.
Reuters reported that Trump framed the operation as a response to attacks he said were hitting Christian communities, while also noting Nigeria’s security crisis is multi-layered and has affected different communities in the country.
Additional coverage by Al Jazeera and The Guardian also reported Trump’s announcement and AFRICOM’s confirmation of the strike, as details continued to emerge.
Sources: Truth Social (as cited in Reuters/other outlets); AFRICOM press release; Reuters; Al Jazeera; The Guardian.
Links: AFRICOM statement: https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/36158/us-africa-command-conducts-strike-against-isis-in-nigeria | Reuters report: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-launches-strikes-against-islamic-state-militants-northwest-nigeria-trump-says-2025-12-25/ | Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/25/trump-says-us-launched-strikes-against-isil-in-northwest-nigeria | The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/25/us-carries-out-airstrikes-against-islamic-state-terrorist-scum-in-nigeria-trump-says
Truth Social; U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM); Reuters; Al Jazeera; The Guardian 2025-12-25
