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Trump says US struck ISIS targets in Nigeria after group targets Christians #Trump #struck #ISIS #targets #Nigeria #group #targets #Christians

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US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had launched a “powerful and deadly” strike against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country’s government of failing to curb the persecution of Christians.

In a post on Christmas Eve on his social media account, Mr. Trump did not provide details or mention the extent of the damage caused by the strikes in Sokoto state.

A U.S. Defense Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss unpublicized details, said the United States worked with Nigeria to carry out the strikes and that they were approved by that country’s government.

Nigeria’s foreign ministry said the cooperation included intelligence sharing and strategic coordination in a manner “consistent with international law, mutual respect for sovereignty and shared commitments to regional and global security.”

Mr. Trump said the airstrikes were launched against Islamic State militants “who targeted and brutally killed primarily innocent Christians.”

The president was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must stop

Residents and security analysts said Nigeria’s security crisis affects both Christians, the majority in the south, and Muslims, the majority in the north.

“Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed against Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values ​​and international peace and security,” the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Nigeria is fighting several armed groups, including at least two affiliated with the Islamic State – an offshoot of the Boko Haram extremist group known as the Islamic State West Africa Province in the northeast, and the lesser-known Lakurawa group, prominent in northwest states such as Sokoto, where the gangs use large swathes of forests connecting the states as hideouts.

Security analysts said the target of U.S. strikes could be the Lakurawa group, which over the past year has become increasingly deadly in the region, often targeting isolated communities and security forces.

“Lakurawa is a group that actually controls territories in Nigeria, Sokoto State and other states like Kebbi,” said Malik Samuel, a Nigerian security researcher at Good Governance Africa.

“In the northwest, there has been the incursion of ideologically motivated violent extremist groups,” he said, attributing the incursion to the virtual absence of state and security forces in hotspots.

The Nigerian government has previously said, in response to Mr. Trump’s criticism, that people of many faiths, not just Christians, have suffered attacks from extremist groups.

Mr. Trump last month ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for possible military action in Nigeria to try to curb the so-called persecution of Christians.

The US State Department recently announced it would restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members implicated in the killings of Christians in that country.

And the United States recently designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.

Mr. Trump said U.S. defense officials had “executed many perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of” and added that “our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to flourish.”

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that there was “more to come” (Alex Brandon/AP)

Nigeria’s population of 220 million is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced insecurity on several fronts, including the extremist group Boko Haram, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.

But attacks in Nigeria often have diverse motivations. There are religiously motivated conflicts targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, community rivalries, breakaway groups and ethnic clashes.

The U.S. security footprint has diminished in Africa, where military partnerships have either been reduced or canceled. U.S. forces would likely have to be drawn from other parts of the world for any larger-scale military intervention in Nigeria.

Mr. Trump nevertheless kept up the pressure as Nigeria faced a series of attacks on schools and churches, in violence that experts and residents say targets both Christians and Muslims.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X on Thursday evening: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must stop. »

Mr. Hegseth said US military forces are “always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – at Christmas” and added: “More to come… Recognizing the support and cooperation of the Nigerian government” before signing: “Merry Christmas!”



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