Nigeria provided US with intelligence for strikes on Islamist militants, says foreign minister – US politics live | US politics
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Nigeria provides US with intelligence on attacks on militants, Foreign Minister says
Nigeria provided intelligence on jihadists to the United States before attacks in the country on Christmas Day, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
On Thursday, the US president Donald TrumpThe US military has launched strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria after spending weeks condemning the group for targeting Christians, the US military said.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, the President said: “Tonight, under my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly offensive against the ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, targeting and brutally killing, primarily innocent Christians, at levels not seen in years, even centuries!
“I had previously 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.”
Now, Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf TuggarHe told broadcaster ChannelsTV that he had spoken to the US secretary of state on the phone. Marco Rubioand that Nigeria “provided” the intelligence.
“We spoke twice. We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and another five minutes before the strike started,” Tuggar said.
He added that they spoke “extensively” and President Bola Tinubu gave the “go ahead” to launch the attacks.
Tuggar said the strikes will be an “ongoing process” that will include other countries. He did not give further details.
Trump had previously announced that he would launch a US military intervention in Nigeria with “firearms” and claimed that the country’s government was inadequate in its efforts to prevent attacks by Islamist groups against Christians.
