United States President Donald Trump has confirmed that the U.S. worked closely with the Nigerian government to carry out air strikes on Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Sokoto on Christmas Day.
Speaking on Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., Trump disclosed that the military action was conducted in close coordination with Nigerian authorities.
“On Christmas Day in close coordination with the government of Nigeria, we worked with them, but they’ve got to get tougher,” Trump said.
He explained that the strikes were aimed at crippling ISIS elements responsible for attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria.
“The strikes were meant to decimate the ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians in that country by the thousands,” the U.S. President stated.
Trump emphasised the symbolic timing of the operation, noting that he personally directed that the strikes be carried out on December 25.
“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.
He further revealed that he gave explicit instructions to ensure the operation took place on Christmas Day.
“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 added.
According to the United States Department of Defense, the air strikes were conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities and resulted in the deaths of multiple ISIS terrorists operating in northwestern Nigeria.
Trump had earlier announced on December 26 that “powerful and deadly” strikes had been launched against Islamic State militants in the region, following warnings for the group to stop targeting Christians.
The National Prayer Breakfast, an annual gathering of political and religious leaders from around the world, was also attended by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
During his address, Trump praised the Nigerian First Lady, describing her as a “very respected woman” and acknowledging her role as a Christian 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 participants.
