U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Christmas Day that American forces had carried out a significant military operation against ISIS militants in Nigeria, framing the action as a response to the terrorist group's alleged targeting of Christians.
Christmas Night Announcement of Military Action
In a post on his Truth Social platform on the evening of December 25, 2025, the President declared that the United States had launched a "powerful and deadly strike" in northwest Nigeria. Trump stated the operation was directed against "ISIS Terrorist Scum" who he claimed had been "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries."
The announcement was made from the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump was spending the holiday. The White House did not immediately provide further operational details, such as the method of the strike or a specific assessment of its effects.
Background and Escalating U.S. Response
This military action follows a warning from Trump in November 2025, when he said he had ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria. The planning was initiated in response to persistent reports of violence and persecution against Christian communities in parts of the West African nation.
In recent weeks, the U.S. State Department had already taken diplomatic steps, announcing it would restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence targeting Christians. Furthermore, the United States recently designated Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act, highlighting serious violations.
Trump's Justification and Vow to Continue
In his Christmas night statement, Trump connected the strike directly to his previous warnings. "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," he wrote.
He praised U.S. defense officials, stating they had "executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing." The President concluded with a firm policy declaration: "Our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper."
The development marks a significant and public escalation of U.S. military involvement in Nigeria's ongoing conflict with Islamist insurgent groups, underscoring the Trump administration's focus on religious persecution as a catalyst for foreign intervention.
