On Christmas Day 2025, President Donald Trump announced that the United States had conducted precision airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in northwest Nigeria’s Sokoto State. The operation, carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities at their request, targeted known ISIS camps and resulted in the deaths of multiple terrorists, according to U.S. Africa Command. Trump described the strikes as a “powerful and deadly” response to what he portrayed as escalating attacks primarily on innocent Christians by radical Islamist groups, framing it as fulfillment of prior warnings that severe consequences would follow continued violence.

In a statement posted on Truth Social from his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump declared: “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.”

The strikes highlight ongoing U.S. concerns over religious violence in Nigeria, though Nigerian officials and experts emphasize that insurgent attacks, including those by ISIS affiliates and other groups, affect both Christian and Muslim communities amid complex factors like banditry, land disputes, and criminality. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated further actions could follow, underscoring a message of resolve: America will not tolerate threats from radical Islamic terrorism, even on Christmas—think about it.