Donald Trump: United States carried out an attack on ISIS terrorists in Nigeria

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump said his country had launched a deadly attack on members of the ISIS terrorist group in the northwestern region of Nigeria.

Trump made the statement about the attack in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, December 25, 2025, while saying that the attack was carried out at his direction as the supreme commander in the United States.

"Tonight, at my direction as the supreme commander, the United States launched a powerful and deadly attack on ISIS terrorists in northwestern Nigeria, who have viciously targeted and killed, especially innocent Christians, at a level not seen for many years, if ever," he said.

Amid the attacks against ISIS in Nigeria, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced new steps Washington would take, but he did not detail the measures.

Through the X platform, Hegseth said President Donald Trump had confirmed last month that the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere must end.

"The Department of Defense is always ready. ISIS knows it tonight - right on Christmas Day. There will be further steps. Thank you for the support and cooperation of the Nigerian government," he wrote.

Meanwhile, the United States Africa Command (Africom) said the attack was carried out at the request of the Nigerian government.

"Africom carried out the attack at the request of the Nigerian authorities in the State of Soboto which killed a number of ISIS terrorists."

"The deadly attack on ISIS demonstrates our military strength and our commitment to eliminating the threat of terrorism against Americans, both at home and abroad," Africom said.

In late October 2025, Trump asked the US House of Representatives Budget Committee to investigate the issue of "mass slaughter" of Christians in Nigeria by the ISIS group and report its results to him.

He also stated that he had designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern or a country of particular concern. Trump then said that he did not rule out sending US troops to Nigeria.

In line with this, Hegseth said that his department, at Trump's orders, was preparing steps related to Nigeria.

Nigeria ranks seventh on the list of countries with the most extreme levels of persecution of Christians, according to the 2025 World Watch List annual report published by Open Doors.

In October 2025, Nigeria's upper house of parliament formed a committee to address international concerns about persecution of Christians in the country.