The US department of war on Thursday released a footage of strikes against ISIS terrorists in northeast Nigeria.The video shows a missile being launched from an aircraft carrier.This comes after US President Donald Trump announced “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS terrorists whom he described as “terrorist scum”. The precision strikes mark the first attack by US forces in Nigeria under Trump, and come after the Republican unexpectedly berated the West African nation in October and November, saying Christians there faced an “existential threat” that amounted to “genocide” amid Nigeria’s myriad armed conflicts.
In a post on Truth Social, US President Trump said the strike was carried out “at my direction as Commander in Chief” and targeted ISIS militants.He alleged that the group had been “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries”.He added that the “Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing”. Trump further said that under his leadership, the US would not allow “radical Islamic terrorism to prosper”.He concluded the post by saying, “May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”Trump, in recent months, has repeatedly spoken about the situation of Christians in Nigeria. In November, he had called on his secretary of defence to “prepare for possible action” and warned that the US could enter Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to protect the Christian population in Africa’s most populous country, reported CNN.The diplomatic offensive was welcomed by some but interpreted by others as inflaming religious tensions in Africa’s most populous country, which has seen bouts of sectarian violence in the past.Nigeria’s government and independent analysts reject framing the country’s violence in terms of religious persecution — a narrative long used by the Christian right in the United States and Europe.Meanwhile, the Nigerian foreign ministry also confirmed the attack launched by the US and said, “Nigerian authorities remain engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism,” the foreign ministry said in a statement released early on Friday. “This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes,” in the country’s northwest, it added.
