Late Thursday night, President Donald Trump confirmed a major military intervention in Northwest Nigeria, announcing “powerful and deadly” airstrikes against ISIS targets. The Christmas Day operation, coordinated with the Nigerian government, specifically targeted militant camps in Sokoto State following warnings from the White House regarding the persecution of Christians in the region.
It could be recalled that he He had directed the US Department of War to prepare for action in Nigeria following which a series of surveillances were conducted in the North.
“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 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.”
Confirming the strike in a statement released on Friday, December 26 by the spokesperson of the foreign Affairs Ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the “precision hits” was in keeping with “structured security cooperation with international partners”.
“The Federal Government continues to work closely with its partners through established diplomatic and security channels to weaken terrorist networks, disrupt their financing and logistics, and prevent cross-border threats, while strengthening Nigeria’s own security institutions and intelligence capabilities,” Ebienfa said.
Last night, US President Donald Trump announced the “powerful and deadly” strikes against the terrorists.
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) later noted that the strikes were at “the request of Nigerian authorities”.
Ebienfa also said more strikes were expected given that “the terrorists continue to pose a threat to the nation’s security”.
The hits come nearly two months after Trump had threatened to go into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing to wipe out the terrorists killing our cherished Christians”, after some US politicians repeatedly claimed that there was a genocide against Christians in the West African nation.
It also comes weeks after flight tracking data showed that the US has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November.
On Friday, November 21, the national security adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, met Pete Hegseth, US defence secretary, following Trump’s threat.
After the meeting, Hegseth said his department would work “aggressively” with Nigeria to end the alleged “persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists”.
Ribadu and Hegseth’s meeting held the same day congress heard allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
However, a few weeks after the hearing, Riley Moore, a congressman, said Nigeria and the US were close to reaching an agreement on a “strategic security framework” aimed at tackling terrorism in the West African country.
Moore spoke after a “fact-finding mission” to Nigeria to examine allegations of a Christian genocide in the country.
Although, the lawmaker did not disclosed details of the security framework.
