SRINAGAR: The United States carried out air strikes on Islamic State (IS) militants in north-west Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government, US President Donald Trump and the US military said, according to a report by the BBC News.
The operation was confirmed on Thursday, December 25, 2025, with US officials stating that the militant group had been responsible for attacks on Christian communities in the region.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told local media on December 26 that US precision air strikes targeted what it described as “terrorist targets” in the north-west of the country. The ministry added that Abuja remains engaged with Washington through “structured security cooperation.”
US Africa Command stated on social media that the strikes were conducted at Nigeria’s request and resulted in the deaths of several IS militants.
At the direction of the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, and in coordination with Nigerian authorities, U.S. Africa Command conducted strikes against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria on Dec. 25, 2025, in Sokoto State.
— U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) December 26, 2025
President Trump said the operation was ordered directly by him, describing it as a decisive response to violence he claimed was primarily directed at Christians. He made the remarks in a post on Truth Social on Christmas Day while spending the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
The strikes follow repeated warnings from Trump since late October that Christianity faces what he called an “existential threat” in Nigeria. He had previously suggested that the United States could intervene militarily if attacks on Christian communities continued. Reuters reported earlier this week that US forces had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large areas of Nigeria since late November.
Nigeria’s government, however, has said that armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, rejecting claims that violence in the country constitutes persecution of Christians alone. Officials said such claims oversimplify a complex security situation and overlook efforts to protect religious freedom, though Nigeria has agreed to cooperate with the United States to strengthen its fight against militant groups.
Nigeria’s population is divided along religious lines, with Muslims concentrated mainly in the north and Christians primarily in the south.
