WASHINGTON D.C, December 25, 2025 – President Donald J. Trump announced late on Christmas Day that the United States had conducted “powerful and deadly” airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in northwest Nigeria, targeting groups accused of persecuting and killing Christians.
In a statement posted on social media and shared by the White House, Trump declared: “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, 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!”
The president emphasized that he had previously warned the militants, stating, “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 described the operation as involving “numerous perfect strikes” executed by the Department of War (the administration’s term for the Department of Defense), adding, “Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”
Trump concluded with a message blessing U.S. military forces and extending Christmas greetings, including to “the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the strikes were carried out at the request of Nigerian authorities, resulting in the deaths of multiple ISIS terrorists in Sokoto State. Defense officials have provided limited details on casualties or specific targets, but the operation aligns with Trump’s prior directives to prepare military options in response to reported violence against Christian communities in Nigeria.
The strikes follow months of focus by the Trump administration on religious persecution in Nigeria, including the redesignation of the country as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act and visa restrictions on individuals linked to violence. Militant groups such as ISIS West Africa Province (ISWAP) and affiliates of Boko Haram have been active in the region, contributing to ongoing insecurity that affects both Christian and Muslim populations.
The Nigerian government has not yet issued an official response to the U.S. operation, though sources indicate cooperation with American forces.
This action marks a continuation of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Africa, coming amid broader operations against ISIS remnants in countries including Somalia and Syria earlier in 2025.
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