Kochi: Kochi: US launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against the Islamic State (IS) group in north-western Nigeria for targeting “innocent Christians”, President Donald Trump said, BBC reported.
Describing IS as ” terrorist scum”, Trump said the US military “executed numerous perfect strikes”.
The US Africa Command (Africom) later reported that Thursday’s attack was carried out in co-ordination with Nigeria in the Sokoto state.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said it was a “joint operation” targeting “terrorists”, and it “has nothing to do with a particular religion”. Further strikes depended on “decisions to be taken by the leadership of the two countries”.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump said that “under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper”.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday he was “grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation”.
The Nigerian foreign ministry on Friday said that the country’s authorities “remain engaged in structured security co-operation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorist and violent extremism.
Trump earlier announced that he had declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” because of the “existential threat” posed to its Christian population.
Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have wrought havoc in north-eastern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands of people, BBC said.
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US hits IS in Nigeria
