A Pentagon spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the Nigerian government approved the strikes.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a “powerful and deadly strike” targeting the ISIS terrorist group in northwest Nigeria on Dec. 25.
Trump said on Truth Social that the terrorists targeted have been “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!”
He said the group had not heeded warnings, leading to the Christmas night strike.
“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 U.S. president wrote.
“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.”
On Nov. 5, Trump highlighted the plight of Christians in Nigeria in a video address, and said in subsequent messages that the United States may consider military intervention.
The Trump administration has also designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, which opens the country up to sanctions. The State Department earlier this month announced it was restricting visas for Nigerians involved in the “mass killing and violence” against Christians.
Nigerian officials have rejected allegations of widespread Christian persecution, arguing that the Boko Haram group and ISIS West Africa target people of all faiths. Authorities also rejected Trump’s suggestions of possible U.S. military intervention.
A Pentagon spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the Nigerian government approved the strikes.
“The Department of War worked with the government of Nigeria to carry out these strikes,” the spokesperson said. “These strikes were approved by the government of Nigeria.”
The United States designated Nigeria a CPC for the first time in 2020. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) pointed to jihadist forces such as Boko Haram for escalating ethno-religious violence, and in a report said that Nigerians surveyed considered the religious divides “the worst they have ever been.” The designation was lifted the next year.
Human rights organizations renewed calls for the Trump administration to designate Nigeria a CPC this year, reporting a spike in violence against Christians in the first half of 2025.
