Nigeria Emphasizes Cooperation With US Amid Strikes on ISIS

The Nigerian government said on Dec. 26 that the recent U.S. strikes on the ISIS terrorist group were part of a broader effort to ensure regional security while affirming its collaboration with the United States and other foreign partners.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria confirms that 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,” a spokesperson for the ministry said in a post on social media.

The spokesman said that the efforts are meant to protect civilian lives, regardless of their faith or ethnicity.

“Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims, or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security,” the statement read.

The comments came after the Trump administration announced the Christmas Day strikes as a way to deter aggression against 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,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote in a post on TruthSocial.

The Christmas Day strikes in Sokoto State killed multiple terrorists, according to U.S. Africa Command.

“U.S. Africa Command is working with Nigerian and regional partners to increase counterterrorism cooperation efforts related to ongoing violence and threats against innocent lives,” Gen. Dagvin Anderson, who leads the command, said in a statement.

According to the Pew Research Center, Nigeria’s population was mostly Muslim (56.1 percent) and Christian (43.4 percent) as of 2020, and both groups grew rapidly in the preceding decade.

The strikes followed an escalating focus by the Trump administration on ISIS and Christian persecution, in part amplified by rapper Nicki Minaj.

During a speech at the United Nations last month, Minaj thanked Trump for his attention to the issue.

“Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria but also in so many other countries across the world, and it demands urgent action,” she said.

“And I want to be clear: Protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people—it is about uniting humanity.”

Weeks earlier, Trump declared an existential threat to Christianity in Nigeria, and the State Department designated it “a country of particular concern.”

That followed a request from the International Society for Civil Liberties for such a designation.

The Nigerian group, which describes itself as supporting democracy and human rights, said more than 125,000 Christians and 60,000 liberal Muslims have been killed since 2009.

Citing attacks on Nigerian Christians, the State Department announced earlier this month it would restrict visa issuance to individuals who participated in violations of religious freedom.

Meanwhile, lawmakers have asked the administration to pursue ISIS in Syria, where the United States recently struck the terror group after an attack on American and Syrian personnel earlier this month.

U.S. Central Command reported 10 operations since Dec. 13, during which 23 terrorist operatives were either killed or detained.

After the Dec. 19 strike, the command said more than 70 targets were hit with precision munitions targeting ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites.

Catherine Yang and Audrey Simons contributed to this report.