President Trump orders U.S. strikes on ISIS in Nigeria’s Sokoto state with government support, targeting militants accused of killing Christians. Further action warned if violence persists.
Newsroom (26/12/2025 Gaudium Press) In a decisive Christmas night operation, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces conducted precision airstrikes against ISIS elements in northwestern Nigeria, targeting militants accused of systematically killing innocent Christians.
The strikes, carried out on December 25 in Sokoto state, were executed with the full support and cooperation of the Nigerian government, marking a significant escalation in U.S. involvement against Islamist extremism in Africa’s most populous nation.
“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,” Trump declared in a statement posted to Truth Social. He described the operation as “a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum” who have been “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries.”
The president emphasized his administration’s firm stance, stating, “Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper.” He issued a stark warning that additional strikes would follow if the violence against Christians continued.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the joint operation on Friday, describing it as “precision hits on terrorist targets” resulting from structured security cooperation with the United States. The ministry highlighted the sharing of intelligence and strategic coordination that enabled the strikes.
“Nigeria reiterates that all counter-terrorism efforts are guided by the primacy of protecting civilian lives, safeguarding national unity, and upholding the rights and dignity of all citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity,” the ministry stated on X. It condemned terrorist violence directed at any community—Christian, Muslim, or otherwise—as an affront to national values and international peace.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth echoed the president’s resolve, noting on X that the operation fulfilled Trump’s demand to end the killings. “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end,” Hegseth wrote. “The [War Department] is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight—on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
The airstrikes targeted terrorist camps in Jabo, a rural community in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto state, according to sources cited by the Christian charity Open Doors. Multiple ISIS militants were reportedly killed in the operation. Jabo, a predominantly Fulani town, has been identified as a haven for militants with links to neighboring states like Kebbi and Zamfara. Open Doors noted there is no known church presence in the area but expressed concerns about potential retaliation against local communities.
The action follows months of heightened attacks on Christians and Christian institutions in Nigeria, which have drawn international condemnation and prompted direct threats from the Trump administration. Last month, Trump warned of severe consequences, stating he would “do things in Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about” and potentially “go into that now disgraced country guns-a-blazing” if the killings persisted.
Recent incidents underscoring the crisis include an armed assault on the Christ Apostolic Church in November, where gunmen killed two people and abducted dozens of worshipers. The 38 kidnapped individuals were freed nearly a week later. Preceding that attack, gunmen kidnapped 25 girls from a boarding school in Kebbi state, killing at least one staff member; 24 were later rescued after one escaped. Days after the church incident, attackers raided Saint Mary’s School, abducting more than 300 students and staff. While 50 students escaped in subsequent days, 253 students and 12 teachers remained captive at the time of reporting.
U.S. officials and advocates praised the strikes as a critical response. Congressman Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), a Catholic lawmaker who has championed the cause of persecuted Nigerian Christians in Congress, called the coordinated action “just the first step to ending the slaughter of Christians and the security crisis affecting all Nigerians.”
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, known for his outspoken criticism of anti-Christian violence in Nigeria, hailed the precision strikes as a message that the Trump administration would “fight for” persecuted Christians worldwide.
As the joint U.S.-Nigerian counter-terrorism efforts intensify, the Christmas night operation signals a renewed commitment to confronting Islamist militancy in the region, with both nations underscoring the protection of civilians as paramount amid ongoing security challenges.
.@POTUS “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… pic.twitter.com/ct7rUW128t
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) December 26, 2025
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA and Fox News
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