MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US launches second strike against ISIS in less than a week

More terrorists will be killed if violence persists, Trump warned

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that his country had conducted “deadly” precision airstrikes against ISIS (Islamic State) targets in northwestern Nigeria, which was later corroborated by local authorities. The operation marked a significant escalation in Washington's involvement in Africa to stop what the Republican leader acknowledged was a “massacre of Christians.” The second major US offensive against the terror group this month followed a massive strike on 70 targets in Syria on December 20.

Trump announced the attacks via Truth Social and warned that more terrorists would be killed if the “slaughter” of Christians continued. Meanwhile, the Pentagon released video footage appearing to show a missile launch from a US warship directed at Nigerian targets.

The strikes came amid a period of severe friction between Washington and Abuja. In November, the US officially designated Nigeria as a country with severe violations of religious freedom, placing it on a list alongside China and Russia.

In response, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has consistently denied allegations of religious intolerance, arguing that his government protects the freedom of all citizens in a scenario where Christian communities feel in danger, and Muslim citizens in the north are equally targeted by bandit violence.

The US intervention was also a consequence of a wave of mass kidnappings in late November, including the abduction of hundreds of students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in northwestern Nigeria. These victims (218 students and 12 staff) were reportedly rescued shortly before the strikes, the Diocese of Kontagora confirmed on Thursday.

The school was attacked in November by over 60 armed individuals. Initially, 315 people were reported missing; some escaped early on, and the remainder were recovered in this latest operation.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reiterated his government's stance on social media, declaring that the killing of innocent Christians “must end.” Despite the political friction regarding religious freedom, Hegseth explicitly thanked the Nigerian government for their “support and cooperation” in executing these specific military strikes.

Additionally, the Pentagon and the US Africa Command (Africom) also explained that the strikes were carried out in Sokoto State at the formal request of the Nigerian government.

Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the “precision airstrikes,” describing them as part of a strategic security partnership involving intelligence sharing and coordinated logistics. The Nigerian government further stressed that its priority remained protecting all citizens “regardless of faith or ethnicity,” noting that terrorist violence is an “affront to Nigerian values” whether it targets Christians or Muslims.