By : Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja
The United States carried out airstrikes overnight against ISIS-affiliated militants operating in northwest Nigeria, President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday, describing the action as a response to ongoing attacks on civilians, including Christian communities in the region.
According to the president, the strikes were ordered under his authority as commander in chief and were conducted by U.S. military forces with the aim of degrading the group’s operational capacity. Trump said the militants had been responsible for widespread violence and killings, warning previously that continued attacks would prompt U.S. military action.
“The United States will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper,” the president said in a statement, praising the military’s execution of what he described as successful and precise strikes.
The Department of Defense has not yet released additional details about the operation, including the number of targets hit or casualties resulting from the strikes. U.S. officials have long expressed concern about the expansion of extremist groups in West Africa, where local insurgencies have increasingly aligned themselves with international terrorist organizations.
Trump concluded his remarks by thanking members of the U.S. armed forces for their service and extending a Christmas message, underscoring the timing of the operation during the holiday season.
The statements from the White House read:
“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. 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.
DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
