United States President Donald Trump has disclosed that the US government coordinated Christmas Day air strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Sokoto State in collaboration with the Nigerian government.
Trump made the disclosure on Thursday while addressing guests at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.
According to the US president, the air strikes were ordered to “decimate the ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians in that country by the thousands.”
Explaining the timing of the operation, Trump said the strikes were deliberately carried out on Christmas Day to send a strong message to the militants.
“On Christmas Day, in close coordination with the government of Nigeria, we worked with them, but they’ve got to get tougher,” he said. “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. We were going to do it on a different day, but I said, ‘No, do it on Christmas, so they understand it.’”
Trump also linked the decision to his long-standing emphasis on restoring public use of the word “Christmas,” recalling his 2015 presidential campaign.
“Remember, Christmas was when I ran in 2015. When I announced, I said we’re going to bring back Christmas, because the word Christmas was almost gone. People didn’t use it anymore. We brought back the word Christmas,” he said.
He added that he gave explicit instructions for the operation to take place on December 25.
“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,” Trump said.
Trump had earlier announced on December 26 that the United States carried out “powerful and deadly” air strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria on December 25, warning the group to stop killing Christians in the country.
The US Department of Defense subsequently confirmed that “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed in the operation, which it said was conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was among the international guests at the faith-based gathering, which drew political and civic leaders from across the world.
Trump praised Mrs Tinubu, describing her as a “very respected woman,” a remark that drew applause from the audience.
In his address, he acknowledged her role as a pastor in one of Nigeria’s largest churches and highlighted her standing as a faith leader.
“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,” Trump said.
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event held in February, bringing together members of the US Congress, religious leaders, and international guests for prayers and reflections on leadership, governance, and national values.
