The United States conducted airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day, marking a significant escalation in U.S. military involvement after Washington recently designated Nigeria as a country of special concern over religious freedom violations.
According to U.S. Africa Command, the airstrikes targeted ISIS camps in Sokoto State on Dec. 25 in coordination with Nigerian authorities and at the direction of the president and the U.S. secretary of the Army. The command said initial assessments indicated that multiple ISIS terrorists were killed.
“At the direction of the President of the United States and the Secretary of the Army, and in coordination with Nigerian authorities, U.S. Africa Command conducted an attack against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria,” the military said in a statement from Stuttgart, Germany. It added that it would not release further details to protect operational security.
Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said the operation was part of a broader effort to counter extremist violence. “U.S. Africa Command is working with Nigeria and regional partners to increase counterterrorism cooperation efforts related to the ongoing violence and threats against innocent lives,” Anderson said. “Our goal is to protect Americans and destroy violent extremist organizations wherever they are.”
The airstrike came weeks after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a country of special concern due to extremist groups’ systematic persecution of Christians. The designation was made under international religious freedom laws following mounting pressure from Christian advocacy groups and renewed debate over the nature of the violence in the country.
In a Dec. 25 post on X, U.S. Army Secretary Pete Hegseth directly linked the airstrikes to concerns about attacks on Christians. “The president made it clear last month that the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end,” Hegseth wrote. “ISIS was spotted tonight on Christmas Day, as @DeptofWar is always ready. More to come…Thank you to the Nigerian government for your support and cooperation.”
Christian Daily International previously reported that violence has been ongoing in Nigeria for decades, with Islamic extremist groups including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province carrying out attacks, kidnappings and mass killings, particularly in the Middle Belt and northern regions. While Nigerian authorities often attribute the violence to widespread security failures and conflicts between farmers and herders, Christian leaders and researchers emphasize that Christians are being disproportionately targeted.
Studies cited by advocacy groups such as Open Doors and the Netherlands-based African Observatory for Religious Freedom show that Christians are significantly more likely to be killed in extremist attacks than Muslims in Nigeria, even in Muslim-majority areas. From 2019 to 2023, these groups reported that the number of Christian deaths related to extremist violence far exceeded the number of Muslim deaths.
When President Trump announced the CPC designation in October, he said Christians in Nigeria face an “existential” threat, pointing to the rise of Islamic extremist groups and inadequate protection by the Nigerian government. Nigeria was designated as a CPC during President Trump’s first term, but the designation was later lifted in 2021.
The Nigerian government rejects claims that the violence amounts to targeted religious persecution, saying both Christians and Muslims have suffered and that the security situation has improved in recent years. But the latest attack reflects the US government’s view that extremist violence in Nigeria raises both security and human rights concerns.
U.S. Africa Command said it will continue to evaluate the results of the operation and work with Nigeria and regional partners to counter violent extremist organizations operating in the country.
