United States President Donald Trump made good his promise on Thursday as he announced that the U.S armed forces launched deadly strikes on Islamic State terrorists in Northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day.
The U.S President also vowed more attacks if the militants keep killing Christians as the attacks followed months of threats which dominated global news headlines.
Taking to his social media accounts, Trump said the U.S launched strikes on the terrorists that have been killing Christians in Nigeria.
The president added that the Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes in Northwest Nigeria.
Trump wrote: “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.”
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the strikes come after flight tracking data had revealed that the U.S has been conducting surveillance over Nigeria since November 2025.
The data identified a specific Gulfstream V business jet, operated by the Mississippi-based firm Tenax Aerospace, a known contractor for the U.S. military.
Flight tracking data also showed that the Tenax Aerospace aircraft was seen at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on Nov. 7 before flying to Ghana on Nov. 24, shortly after the high-level security talks.
According to records from the tracking data, the jet usually takes off from Accra, Ghana, and enters Nigerian airspace to conduct what has been described as long-duration “loitering” patterns before returning to the Ghanaian capital.
Confirming that the U.S launched strikes on terrorists in Nigeria, the U.S Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was “grateful for Nigerian government support and cooperation.”
He wrote: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end.
“The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas.
“Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
Also, U.S Africa Command said in an X post that it conducted a strike, which killed multiple ISIS terrorists in Sokoto State.
“At the direction of the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, and in coordination with Nigerian authorities, U.S. Africa Command conducted strikes against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria on Dec. 25, 2025, in Sokoto State,” the post read.
FG Confirms U.S. Strikes in Nigeria
The Federal Government has also confirmed that the U.S launched strikes on terrorists in Nigeria on Thursday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the development is a result of ongoing security and intelligence cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed by spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, said Nigerian authorities remain engaged in “structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America,” to address terrorism and violent extremism in the country.
The ministry stated that the collaboration, which resulted in precision airstrikes on terrorist targets, involves the sharing of intelligence, strategic coordination, and other forms of support in accordance with international law, respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty, and shared security commitments.
“Nigeria reiterates that all counter-terrorism efforts are guided by the primacy of protecting civilian lives, safeguarding national unity, and upholding the rights and dignity of all citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity,” the statement said.
It added that terrorist violence, “whether directed at Christians, Muslims, or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security.”
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the airstrikes come after Trump had redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged Christian genocide.
Trump had also threatened military action in Nigeria if the government failed to deal with the terrorists wreaking havoc on Christian communities.
The airstrikes come one day after a bomb ripped through a mosque in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri, killing five people and injuring dozens, in a suicide attack.
