Trump Hits ISIS in Nigeria
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Christmas Day, the 25th, that he had executed “powerful, deadly, and numerous perfect airstrikes” against the Islamic extremist terrorist group ‘Islamic State (ISIS)’ in northwestern Nigeria. In a post on his social media platform ‘Truth Social’ that day, Trump that the strike targeted “ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians…I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.”
Trump described the attack as “levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries,” adding, “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing. Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.” Trump, who is staying at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida instead of Washington, D.C., during the Christmas holiday, said, “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.”
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with approximately 220 million people, has long experienced bloody clashes between Muslim nomads and Christian farmers. According to the World Factbook published by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the population is nearly evenly split between Muslims (53.5%) and Christians (45.9%), leading to persistent conflict. Last month, Trump highlighted Christian massacres in Nigeria, stating, “We can ‘shoot our way in’ to eliminate Islamic terrorists” and that he had “instructed the War Department to prepare feasible military operations,” hinting at military action. He accused the government of tolerating massacres by Sunni extremist groups like Boko Haram, often called the ‘Taliban of Africa.’
However, given the long-standing nature of these conflicts and the fact that Christians are not the only victims, some observers speculate that Trump’s sudden interest in the region may be linked to its abundant mineral resources and efforts to counterbalance China’s influence. China, which is expanding its economic territory through the ‘Belt and Road Initiative,’ has invested at least $20 billion (approximately 30 trillion Korean won) in major infrastructure projects in Nigeria, including roads, railways, and ports. Military cooperation between the two countries, such as expanding ammunition production, maintaining and repairing military equipment, and training defense personnel, is also underway.