U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he ordered powerful and deadly strikes by the United States military against Islamic State (ISIS) militants operating in northwest Nigeria, in a dramatic escalation of counter-terrorism actions in the region. The air-strike operation was carried out on Christmas Day, 25 December 2025, targeting extremist camps in Sokoto State as part of what Trump described as a decisive response to persistent violence.
In a social media statement, Trump said the strikes were directed at what he called “ISIS terrorist scum” whom he accused of deadly attacks against civilians, particularly Christians, describing the operation as executed “as only the United States is capable of doing.” The U.S. Department of War reportedly fired precision munitions at multiple ISIS-linked targets and claimed that multiple militants were killed in the action. Trump’s remarks included a pledge that there could be “more to come” if extremist violence continued.
The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed that the strikes in Sokoto were conducted “at the request of Nigerian authorities” and involved intelligence coordination with Nigeria’s security agencies, reflecting structured cooperation under existing bilateral security arrangements. AFRICOM’s initial assessment suggested that the operation successfully hit ISIS sites, though the exact number of casualties and material impact on militant capabilities remain unverified independently.
The timing of the strikes—on a major religious holiday—underscores the Trump administration’s emphasis on aggressive action against groups it blames for sectarian violence, though critics and analysts note the complex security landscape in Nigeria, where extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operate alongside other criminal networks. Trump’s comments characterise the militant threat largely through the lens of attacks on Christians, a framing that has stirred debate about motives and broader dynamics of insecurity in the region.
