President Donald Trump said he ordered U.S. forces to carry out airstrikes on ISIS militants in Sokoto State, northwest Nigeria, on Christmas night, accusing them of orchestrating mass killings of Christians. Posting on Truth Social, Trump called the strikes “powerful and deadly,” warning there would be more if the violence continued.
U.S. Africa Command confirmed the operation, saying the strikes were conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities on December 25. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the action fulfilled Trump’s earlier threats to respond militarily to anti-Christian violence.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz and Senator Tom Cotton praised the strikes and the U.S. troops involved.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 25, 2025
Trump has repeatedly threatened to take direct action in Nigeria over religious violence and earlier this month rolled out new visa restrictions targeting those accused of orchestrating attacks on Christians. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the new policy allows the U.S. to deny visas to people who direct or participate in violations of religious freedom, including members of ISIS, Fulani militias, and other groups.
An image taken from video released by the US Department of Defense shows a strike on what President Donald Trump called “ISIS Terrorist Scum” is seen on Thursday, December 25. Dept. of Defense
Recent attacks in Nigeria include the killing of worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara State and the mass kidnapping of more than 300 students and staff at St. Mary’s School in Niger State. Trump has designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” a label the Nigerian government disputes.
Daniel Bwala, special advisor to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, told CNN: “The US and Nigeria are on the same page in the fight against terrorism.”
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday evening. “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.”
“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,” concluded the president, who is spending the Christmas holiday at his estate in Palm Beach.
AFRICOM provided no casualty figures from the strikes.
