The United States carried out coordinated missile strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day, following weeks of heightened US surveillance and a directive from President Donald Trump to prepare military options aimed at protecting Christian communities.
President Trump announced the operation in a Truth Social post, saying, “the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against 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!” He added that under his leadership, “our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”
A US military official said more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from a Navy vessel operating in the Gulf of Guinea, striking two IS camps in Sokoto State near the border with Niger. The official said the strikes were carried out in coordination with Nigerian forces after weeks of intelligence-gathering flights that began in late November.
US Africa Command said its initial assessment indicated that “multiple” IS terrorists were killed. Gen. Dagvin Anderson, the command’s head, said US forces were working closely with Nigerian and regional partners to expand counterterrorism cooperation and disrupt threats to civilian populations. “Our goal is to protect Americans and disrupt violent extremist organizations wherever they are,” he said.
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Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the strikes were conducted with government coordination. Spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa said terrorist violence “whether directed at Christians, Muslims, or other communities” runs counter to Nigeria’s values and international security norms.
The operation followed months of pressure from US evangelical groups and Republican lawmakers alleging widespread attacks on Christians in Nigeria. Nigerian authorities have rejected claims of a religious genocide, noting that violence by armed groups has killed both Christians and Muslims across the country.
Analysts say the targeted area has seen activity from Islamic State-Sahel, which has attacked civilians and security forces in border regions. Broader insecurity continues elsewhere, including Nigeria’s northeast, where jihadist groups have carried out mass-casualty attacks for more than a decade.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote that President Trump “was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end,” adding that the Defense Department was ready to act. The Nigeria strikes marked the second US action against IS affiliates in a week, following airstrikes in Syria ordered by President Trump earlier this month.