United States has carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria’s government,
President Donald Trump and the US military said on Thursday.that the strike hit terrorists’ group
“This has led to hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria precisiony air strikes in the North West,” the ministry said in a post on X.
A video posted by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile launched from a warship. A US defence official said the strike targeted multiple militants at known Isis camps.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on X thanked the Nigerian GOVERNMENT for its support and co-operation and added: “More to come…”
Nigeria’s government has said armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, and US claims that Christians face persecution do not represent the complex security situation and ignore efforts to safeguard religious freedom. But it has agreed to work with the US to bolster its forces against militant groups.
The country’s population is split between Muslims living primarily in the north and Christians in the south.
Police said earlier on Thursday a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people and injured 35 others at a mosque in Nigeria’s northeast, another region troubled by Islamist insurgents.
In a Christmas message posted on X earlier, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called for peace in his country, “especially between individuals of differing religious beliefs”.
“I stand committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence,” he said.
Trump issued his statement on the strike on Christmas Day while he was at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, where he has been spending the holiday. He had no public events during the day and was last seen by the reporters travelling with him on Wednesday night.
The US military last week launched separate large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria, after Trump vowed to hit back in the wake of a suspected Isis attack on US personnel in the country.
