US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that American forces had carried out what he described as “powerful and lethal” military strikes against fighters of the Islamic State group in north-western Nigeria.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the strikes targeted terrorists who are “brutally targeting and killing, primarily, innocent Christians”, warning that further action would follow if the attacks continued.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the operation resulted in the killing of “a number of Islamic State terrorists” in Sokoto State, adding that it was conducted “at the request of the Nigerian authorities” and in coordination with them.
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) described the strikes as “demonstrating our commitment to eliminating terrorist threats that target Americans”.
The move follows earlier warnings by Donald Trump stressing the need to protect Christians in Nigeria.
