President Donald Trump ordered Nigeria airstrikes against ISIS on Christmas
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President Donald Trump is taking action against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria, following up on previous threats and launching airstrikes targeting the group on Thursday.
While the Christmas attacks focus on ISIS militants, there are numerous violent extremist organizations operating in Africa’s Sahel region; Here, US officials claim that their influence and power continues to grow as violence escalates.
The Christmas attacks took place in Sokoto State, which borders Nigeria’s neighboring Niger. This is the region where the Islamic State (IS) Sahel Province, largely based in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, is “advancing towards Nigeria,” according to Caleb Weiss, editor of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal.
President Donald Trump announced that there were attacks against terrorists and Christians were killed in Nigeria. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo and Adekunle Ajayi/Getty Images)
“In Sokoto, it carried out attacks against both government forces and civilians, representing the only jihadist group operating in Nigeria,” Weiss said in a statement Thursday. he said.
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He also said other branches of ISIS, such as the West Africa Province, as well as organizations affiliated with other violent extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda, are also operating in the region. These include Boko Haram, a Nigeria-based group that the State Department designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2013, as well as offshoots of al-Qaeda such as Ansaru and the Group in Support of Islam and Muslims, also known as Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimeen, or JNIM.
“In addition to ISIS Sahel, there is also ISIS West Africa Region, which supports and coordinates ISIS Sahel in northwestern Nigeria; the so-called Boko Haram; Al Qaeda groups consisting of Ansaru and the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims, which, like ISIS Sahel, is a group based primarily in Mali and Burkina Faso, but has also moved into Nigeria in recent years, making the Sahel and Nigeria conflicts a major conflict,” Weiss said. he said.
Meanwhile, the Sahel region, which primarily encompasses Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, is ripe for terrorist activity, and U.S. officials have long warned about the threat these groups pose to the U.S. homeland.
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For example, Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, head of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), told reporters in May that extremist groups were gaining ground and “broadening their targets”; This means that as these groups gain “capability and capacity” in the Sahel region, the threat to the US homeland increases.
On November 2, 2025, in Palmgrove, Lagos, Nigeria, after Sunday mass, St. Drone footage of Christians leaving the Peter and Paul Catholic Church. (REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun)
“This is a flashpoint for protracted conflicts and increasing instability. This is the epicenter of terrorism on the world,” Langley said.
Meanwhile, Trump announced on Thursday that he was directing the attacks in northwestern Nigeria, having previously warned that he would take action following recent attacks on Christians in the region.
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“I have previously warned these Terrorists that there would be hell to pay if they did not stop the slaughter of Christians, and tonight it happened,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday. “The War Department carried out many excellent strikes as only the United States could.”
It’s unclear how many people died in the attacks, but Trump said the attacks were “deadly.” AFRICOM said in a statement on Thursday that the initial assessment was that “a large number” of ISIS terrorists were killed in the attack.
Christians and Christian institutions have faced a series of attacks in Nigeria. In November, gunmen raided the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, leaving two people dead and dozens abducted. The kidnapped people were released about a week later.
A newspaper vendor pulls a newspaper containing an article reporting U.S. President Donald Trump’s message to Nigeria regarding the treatment of Christians at a newspaper stand in Ojuelegba, Lagos, Nigeria, November 2, 2025. (REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun)
Also in November, armed attackers attacked St. Petersburg in Niger State. Mary’s School, resulting in the kidnapping of over 300 students and staff. Although school officials later said that about 50 students were able to be released, more than 250 students and 21 teachers are still in captivity.
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The Trump administration moved in November to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.” Nigeria opposed the US government’s appointment.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
