US President Donald Trump disclosed on Thursday that the American government worked closely with Nigerian authorities to carry out airstrikes against Islamic State terrorists in Sokoto State on Christmas Day.
Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C, Trump explained that the operation targeted militants he accused of killing large numbers of Christians in Nigeria.
“On Christmas Day in close coordination with the government of Nigeria, we worked with them, but they’ve got to get tougher. I ordered powerful air strikes to decimate the ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians in that country by the thousands. It’s not even believable. We hit them so hard they still don’t know what the hell happened. And we were going to do it on a different day. I said no, do it on Christmas. So they understand it,” he said.
Trump emphasised that he personally directed the timing of the strikes. “I specifically told Pete, I said hit them on Christmas Day, not earlier and not later. And man, did he hit them. So then we hit them again recently. We hit them again pretty hard,” he added.
He linked the decision to his long-standing emphasis on the importance of Christmas, recalling his 2015 campaign promise to “bring back Christmas” when he felt the word was being avoided.
The US Department of Defense previously confirmed that the Christmas Day strikes killed multiple ISIS militants and were conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities.
During the same address, Trump praised Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who attended the event. He described her as “a very respected woman” and highlighted her role as a pastor in one of Nigeria’s largest churches.
“We are honoured to be joined today by the First Lady of Nigeria, who also happens to serve as a Christian pastor at the largest church in Nigeria — a very respected woman. Thank you very much, it’s a great honour, a very respected person too,” Trump said, drawing applause from the audience.
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual February gathering that brings together US Congress members, religious leaders, and international guests for prayers and discussions on leadership, governance, and national values.
