WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump mentioned Thursday that the U.S. launched a “powerful and deadly” strike in opposition to Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African nation’s authorities of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.
In a Christmas night publish on his social media web site, Trump didn’t present particulars or point out the extent of the harm attributable to the strikes.
A Protection Division official, who insisted on anonymity to debate particulars not made public, mentioned the U.S. labored with Nigeria to hold out the strikes, and that they’d been accepted by that nation’s authorities.
Nigeria’s Ministry of International Affairs mentioned the cooperation included trade of intelligence and strategic coordination in methods “consistent with international law, mutual respect for sovereignty and shared commitments to regional and global security.”
Trump mentioned the airstrikes had been launched in opposition to Islamic State militants “who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.” Residents and safety analysts have mentioned Nigeria’s safety disaster impacts each Christians, predominant within the south, and Muslims, who’re the bulk within the north.
“Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security,” Nigeria’s Ministry of International Affairs mentioned.
Nigeria is battling a number of armed teams, together with a minimum of two affiliated with the Islamic State — an offshoot of the Boko Haram extremist group often called the Islamic State West Africa Province within the northeast, and the less-known Lakurawa group outstanding within the northwestern states like Sokoto the place the gangs use massive swathes of forests connecting states as hideouts.
Safety analysts mentioned the goal of the U.S. strikes may very well be the Lakurawa group, which within the final yr has more and more grow to be deadly within the area, typically focusing on distant communities and safety forces.
“Lakurawa is a group that is actually controlling territories in Nigeria, in Sokoto state and in other states like Kebbi,” mentioned Malik Samuel, a Nigerian safety researcher at Good Governance Africa. “In the northwest, there has been the incursion of violent extremist groups that are ideologically driven,” he mentioned, blaming the incursion on the close to absence of the state and safety forces in scorching spots.
Nigeria’s authorities has beforehand mentioned in response to Trump’s criticisms that folks of many religions, not simply Christians, have suffered assaults by the hands of extremists teams.
Trump ordered the Pentagon final month to start planning for potential army motion in Nigeria to try to curb the so-called Christian persecution. The State Division just lately introduced it will prohibit visas for Nigerians and their relations concerned in killing Christians there.
And the U.S. just lately designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” underneath the Worldwide Spiritual Freedom Act.
Trump mentioned the U.S. protection officers had “executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing” and added that “our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”
Nigeria’s inhabitants of 220 million is break up nearly equally between Christians and Muslims. The nation has lengthy confronted insecurity from varied fronts together with the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to determine its radical interpretation of Islamic legislation and has additionally focused Muslims it deems not Muslim sufficient.
However assaults in Nigeria typically have various motives. There are religiously motivated ones focusing on each Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling sources, communal rivalries, secessionist teams and ethnic clashes.
The U.S. safety footprint has diminished in Africa, the place army partnerships have both been scaled down or canceled. U.S. forces seemingly must be drawn from different elements of the world for any larger-scale army intervention in Nigeria.
Trump has nonetheless stored up the strain as Nigeria confronted a collection of assaults on faculties and church buildings in violence that consultants and residents say targets each Christians and Muslims.
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth posted Thursday evening on X: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end.”
Hegseth mentioned that U.S. army forces are “always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas” and added, “More to come…Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation” earlier than signing off, “Merry Christmas!”
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Related Press author Konstantin Toropin contributed from Washington, and Chinedu Asadu from Abuja, Nigeria.
