WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump stated Thursday night time that he’d launched a “highly effective and lethal” U.S. strike towards Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African nation’s authorities of failing to rein within the persecution of Christians.
“Tonight, at my route as Commander in Chief, the USA launched a robust and lethal strike towards ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who’ve been focusing on and viciously killing, primarily, harmless Christians, at ranges not seen for a few years, and even Centuries!” the president posted on his social media web site.
His put up didn’t embody details about how the strike was carried out, nor what results it had. However the U.S. Africa Command posted on X that it had “performed a strike on the request of Nigerian authorities in Soboto State killing a number of ISIS terrorists.”
“Deadly strikes towards ISIS show the power of our navy and our dedication to eliminating terrorist threats towards People at dwelling and overseas,” its put up stated.
The Protection Division didn’t instantly reply requests for remark.
In response to Trump’s earlier criticisms, Nigeria’s authorities says that folks of many religions, not simply Christians, have suffered assaults by the hands of extremist teams.
Nonetheless, final month, Trump stated he’d ordered the Pentagon to start planning for potential navy motion in Nigeria following the claims of Christian persecution. The State Division has additionally introduced it might prohibit visas for Nigerians and their members of the family concerned in mass killings and violence towards Christians within the West African nation.
And the U.S. not too long ago designated Nigeria a “nation of explicit concern” below the Worldwide Non secular Freedom Act.
“I’ve beforehand warned these Terrorists that if they didn’t cease the slaughtering of Christians, there can be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” Trump wrote in his Christmas night time put up.
He stated that U.S. protection officers had “executed quite a few excellent strikes, as solely the USA is able to doing” and added that “our Nation won’t enable Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”
Nigeria’s inhabitants of 220 million is break up nearly equally between Christians and Muslims. The nation has lengthy confronted insecurity from varied fronts together with the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to determine its radical interpretation of Islamic legislation and has additionally focused Muslims it deems not Muslim sufficient.
However assaults in Nigeria typically have various motives. There are religiously motivated ones focusing on each Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling sources, communal rivalries, secessionist teams and ethnic clashes.
The U.S. safety footprint has diminished in Africa, the place navy partnerships have both been scaled down or canceled. U.S. forces seemingly must be drawn from different elements of the world for any navy intervention in Nigeria.
Trump has nonetheless stored up the strain as Nigeria confronted a sequence of assaults on faculties and church buildings in violence that consultants and residents say targets each Christians and Muslims.
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth posted Thursday night time on X: “The President was clear final month: the killing of harmless Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) should finish.”
Hegseth stated that U.S. navy forces are “all the time prepared, so ISIS discovered tonight — on Christmas” and added, “Extra to return…Grateful for Nigerian authorities assist & cooperation” earlier than signing off, “Merry Christmas!”
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