Trump Authorises Airstrikes on Islamic State in Nigeria

Donald Trump: In a dramatic turn that reshapes global counterterrorism dynamics, the United States on Thursday executed US strikes against ISIS in Nigeria, deploying air and missile attacks on Islamic State targets in the country’s northwestern borderlands. According to the US Africa Command, the operation eliminated several ISIS-linked militants and destroyed camps believed to be connected to Islamic State affiliates operating near Nigeria’s frontier with Niger.

The move marks one of the sharpest escalations of US military engagement in West Africa in recent history, and it directly ties Washington’s foreign policy to President Donald Trump’s assertive response to attacks on Christian communities abroad.

Trump Announces Christmas Strikes

President Donald Trump made the unprecedented announcement on Christmas Day, issuing a statement that he authorised “powerful and deadly” US strikes against ISIS in Nigeria. He stated the militants were “slaughtering Christians” and declared the action a direct counter to what he described as religious persecution.

Speaking through Truth Social, Trump said:

“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!”

He added that militants ignored his prior warnings to “stop the slaughtering of Christians,” stating bluntly:

“There would be hell to pay – and tonight, there was.”

The President credited the Pentagon for “numerous perfect strikes” and vowed that under his administration, “Radical Islamic Terrorism will not be allowed to prosper.”

Religious Motivation and Political Pressure

The administration has repeatedly framed the Nigerian crisis as an existential threat to global Christianity. Trump’s language is far stronger than previous White House responses to international violence, presenting the US Strikes ISIS in Nigeria as a moral—not merely military—imperative.

Senior officials amplified that framing. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement that the strikes followed the President’s clear demand for action:

“The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria must end — so ISIS found out tonight.”

Political analysts say pressure had also been building at home. Evangelical advocacy groups and Republican lawmakers, including Senator Ted Cruz, have reportedly urged the government to hold Nigeria accountable, claiming its leadership has failed to protect Christian communities.

Trump: Why the Strikes Happened Now

Strategic timing, intelligence gathering, and rising regional violence converged to trigger the US Strikes ISIS in Nigeria.

Key developments leading up to the Christmas operation include:

1. Trump’s November Directive: The President publicly ordered the Pentagon to prepare military options for Nigeria, warning that if violence persisted, the US “may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing.”

2. New Surveillance Intelligence: US aircraft reportedly began surveillance operations across Nigeria in late November, mapping Islamic State infrastructure and militant corridors along the Niger border.

3. Nigerian Coordination: Nigerian officials recently increased diplomatic engagement with Washington, paving the way for joint targeting operations.

4. Recent Terror Attack: Just days before the strikes, a suspected suicide bomber detonated explosives in a Maiduguri mosque during evening prayers, killing multiple worshippers. It was one of several recent incidents that intensified criticism over Nigeria’s security failures.