United States President Donald Trump has said the US military carried out air strikes against fighters of the Islamic State (IS) group in north-western Nigeria, an operation Nigerian authorities later confirmed.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform late on Thursday, December 25, Trump said the United States had launched what he described as a “powerful and deadly strike” against IS fighters operating in the region.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist scum in Northwest Nigeria,” Trump wrote. He accused the group of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians”.
The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) later confirmed that an air strike had taken place in Sokoto State, saying it was carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities and resulted in the deaths of multiple IS fighters. AFRICOM did not release casualty figures or details of the weapons used.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, told the BBC that the operation was a joint effort and said it was directed at terrorist groups, not religious communities.
“This was a joint operation targeting terrorists,” Tuggar said. “It has nothing to do with a particular religion.”
Without naming Islamic State directly, the minister said the operation had been planned for quite some time and relied on intelligence provided by Nigeria. He said further strikes could take place depending on “decisions to be taken by the leadership of the two countries”.
In a statement issued on Friday, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country remained engaged in “structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America” to address terrorism and violent extremism.
“This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West,” the ministry said.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly thanked Nigeria for its cooperation, writing on X that he was “grateful for Nigerian government support and cooperation”, adding: “Merry Christmas!”
The US Department of Defense later released a short unclassified video that appeared to show a missile launch from a military vessel. The Pentagon did not specify whether the footage was linked directly to the Nigeria operation.
Trump’s comments have drawn attention because of his repeated claims that Christians are being systematically targeted in Nigeria. In November 2025, he ordered the US military to prepare for possible action in the country and later designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged violations of religious freedom, saying “thousands” of Christians had been killed. He did not provide evidence to support the claim.
Nigeria’s government has rejected those assertions. An adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, previously said that jihadist groups and criminal gangs attack both Muslims and Christians, and that Nigeria remains a sovereign country that welcomes cooperation but not unilateral action.
Groups that monitor political violence, including ACLED, say there is no evidence that Christians are killed at higher rates than Muslims in Nigeria. Data from the group show that most victims of jihadist violence in north-eastern Nigeria have been Muslims.
President Tinubu has said Nigeria’s security challenges affect people “across faiths and regions” and has insisted that the country remains committed to religious tolerance.
Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have carried out attacks in Nigeria for more than a decade, particularly in the north-east, while north-west and central regions have faced growing violence linked to armed groups and criminal gangs.
As of Friday morning, neither the US nor Nigerian authorities had reported civilian casualties from the Sokoto operation, and investigations were continuing.
