Donald Trump bombs Isis as US targets ‘terrorist scum for slaughtering innocent Christians’
President Donald Trump has confirmed the US military carried out a “powerful and deadly” strike against Isis militants in north west Nigeria.
Announcing the military action on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump wrote: “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against Isis terrorist scum in north west Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries.
“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.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
Donald Trump has confirmed the US military carried out a ‘powerful and deadly’ strike against Isis militants
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The Pentagon worked in coordination with the Nigerian government prior to the operation
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“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper.
“May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
It comes just weeks after the President labelled Nigeria as a “country of concern”, alleging that extremist Islamic groups are carrying out widespread killings of Christians in the African country.
At the time, Mr Trump warned that Christianity confronts a severe existential danger in Nigeria and that extremists are perpetrating large-scale killings.
It comes just weeks after the President labelled Nigeria as a ‘country of concern’
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The classification announced by the President put Nigeria in the same category as countries including North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and China over alleged violations of religious freedom.
The listing is a step short of formal sanctions and could pave the way for measures such as cutting off non-humanitarian aid.
Alongside Isis, other known Islamic terrorist groups active in Nigeria’s north west include Ansaru, Lakurawa and Boko Haram, which gained global notoriety after kidnapping more than 270 schoolgirls in 2014.
The jihadist group has featured prominently in previous warnings issued by US and international authorities.
More than 37,000 deaths have been linked to Islamic extremism in Nigeria since 2011
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In 2021, the non-partisan US Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that the group had carried out severe violations of religious rights.
The assessment linked Islamist militant activity in Nigeria to more than 37,000 deaths since 2011.
According to the Intersociety human rights organisation, more than 7,000 Christians have been massacred in the African nation this year.
It is unclear how many were killed in the Christmas Day strikes.
The Pentagon worked in coordination with the Nigerian government prior to the operation
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The Pentagon worked in coordination with the Nigerian government prior to the operation.
A War Department source told the New York Post: “These strikes were approved by the government of Nigeria.”
The airstrikes follow a bombing at a mosque in Maiduguri, north east Nigeria on Wednesday.
The suspected suicide attack killed five people and left dozens more injured.
