US launches strikes against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said that the US carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria, claiming that the group was targeting Christians in the region.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and lethal offensive against the ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, targeting and brutally killing, primarily innocent Christians, at levels not seen in years, even centuries!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The post continued: “I warned these Terrorists that there would be hell to pay if they did not stop the slaughter of Christians, and tonight it happened. The War Department carried out many excellent attacks as only the United States can.”
A US official told Reuters that the attack was carried out at the request of Nigerian authorities.
The Islamic State West Africa Province operates primarily in the Chad Basin region and is involved in armed conflicts against the governments of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Nigeria is fighting several armed groups, including Boko Haram, in its troubled northern region. According to the United Nations, thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced from their homes since 2009.
Reuters
More to come.
Take notes directly from our foreign country reporters about things that make headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What’s on in the World Newsletter.
