US strikes ISIS in Nigeria in retaliation for 'killing of innocent Christians'

Attack was carried out in co-ordination with Nigerian authorities, US military's Africa Command says

A still from a Pentagon video showing at least one projectile launched from a warship at ISIS targets in Nigeria. Photo: US Department of War

The US ​carried out strikes against ISIS militants in Nigeria, President Donald Trump and the military have announced, accusing the group of targeting Christians ​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 North-west Nigeria,” Mr Trump ‌said in a post on Truth Social.

He added that the militants have been “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries”.

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The US military’s Africa Command said the strike was carried out in Sokoto state in co-ordination with ‍the Nigerian authorities and killed multiple ISIS militants. ‍An earlier statement posted by the command on X said the strike had been conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, ⁠but that statement was later removed.

Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry said the strike was carried out as part of ongoing security co-operation with the US, involving intelligence sharing and strategic co-ordination to target militant groups. “This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the north-west,” the ministry said in a post on X.

A video posted by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile launched from a warship. A US defence official said the strike targeted militants at known ISIS camps.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on X thanked the Nigerian government for its support, adding that there was “more to come”.

In late October, Mr Trump began warning that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened to militarily intervene in the West African country over what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities.

The attacks mark the first by US forces in Nigeria under Mr Trump. The US this year placed Nigeria back on the list of countries of “particular concern” regarding religious freedom and has restricted visa issuance to Nigerians.

Nigeria is almost evenly divided between a Muslim-majority north and a largely Christian south. Its north-east has been in the grip of extremist violence for more than 15 years by the Islamist Boko Haram group. This has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced two million.

Nigeria’s government says extremists target both Christians and Muslims.

The attack follows similar strikes in Syria, where the US has stepped up targeting ISIS after an attack in Palmyra that killed three Americans, two soldiers and an interpreter.