US and Nigeria Conduct Joint “Powerful Strikes” Against Islamic State Targets

President Tinubu has consistently maintained that the country’s security challenges affect citizens “across faiths and regions” and has reaffirmed his commitment to protecting all communities regardless of their religious affiliation.

RMN News Political Desk
New Delhi | December 26, 2025

President Donald Trump announced that the United States military has executed a series of “powerful and deadly strikes” against Islamic State (IS) militants in north-western Nigeria. The operation, which took place on Thursday in Sokoto state, was described by the US Africa Command (Africom) as a coordinated effort conducted in conjunction with the Nigerian government.

The US Department of Defense supported the announcement by releasing an unclassified video appearing to show a missile being launched from a military vessel. Nigerian authorities confirmed that the engagement resulted in “precision hits” on terrorist targets via air strikes in the North West region.

Religious Protections and Political Tensions

In his announcement, President Trump characterized IS members as “terrorist scum” and accused the group of specifically targeting and killing innocent Christians. This military action follows Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” a status used by the US State Department for nations involved in severe violations of religious freedom. Trump claimed that a “genocide” against Christians was occurring and that his leadership would not allow “Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”

However, the religious motivations cited by the US President have been met with nuance and some contradiction by local officials and monitoring groups:

• Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar stated the joint operation “has nothing to do with a particular religion” and focused solely on neutralizing terrorists.
• Monitoring groups and human rights organizations report there is no evidence suggesting Christians are targeted more than Muslims.
• Data from Acled, which analyzes political violence, indicates that while thousands have been killed by groups like Boko Haram over the last decade, the majority of these victims have been Muslims.

Cooperation and Sovereignty

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed his gratitude for the support and cooperation of the Nigerian government following the strikes. While Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has welcomed international assistance, his administration has emphasized that Nigeria remains a “sovereign” country and that military actions should be carried out as a joint effort.

President Tinubu has consistently maintained that the country’s security challenges affect citizens “across faiths and regions” and has reaffirmed his commitment to protecting all communities regardless of their religious affiliation. This operation follows a previous “massive strike” by the US against IS in Syria just last week, signaling an uptick in US military activity against the group globally.