A US lawmaker revealed Monday that further American airstrikes against terrorist strongholds in Nigeria are planned, describing recent strikes on ISIS militants as a beacon of hope for the country’s persecuted Christian communities.
Republican Congressman Riley Moore, in a social media post and a television interview, emphasized that the operations, coordinated with Nigerian authorities, aim to curb longstanding violence against Christians.
“President Trump is not trying to bring war to Nigeria, he’s bringing peace and security to Nigeria and to the thousands of Christians who face horrific violence and death,” Moore wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
He added: “The strikes against ISIS on Christmas, in coordination with the Nigerian government, have given hope to the Christians in Nigeria.”fca0f6
Appearing on Fox News, Moore detailed the scale of the crisis: “Christians have been getting slaughtered in Nigeria since 2009, estimating between 50,000 and 125,000,” with “Christians killed this year alone are 7,000.”
He recounted personal observations: “Underground, it is more dire than you could imagine, seeing this in person, meeting mothers who have lost all of their children, just murdered in front of them.”
Moore highlighted displacement issues, noting: “600,000 alone just in Benue State are living in IDP refugee camps. A state of six million people, and nearly 90% of that state are Christians.”
The lawmaker stressed the broader regional impact: “This strike has given hope to the Christian population in Nigeria, but also the people of Nigeria who have been under the ISIS-Boko Haram, and most importantly in the Middle Belt region, where we have Fulani Islamic militants who have been driving Christians out of their ancestral homes.”
Describing the Christmas Day operation in northwest Nigeria’s Sokoto State as “just a first step,” Moore affirmed: “There are many more to come. And it was in coordination and cooperation with the Nigerian government.”
US President Donald Trump announced the initial strike on his Truth Social platform, stating: “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria.”
Trump claimed the targeted fighters had “targeted and viciously” killed “primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” adding, “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.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the sentiment on social media: “Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation,” while cautioning that there is “more to come.”
The US Africa Command confirmed the airstrike killed multiple ISIS terrorists at the behest of Nigerian officials, amid reports of an explosion causing alarm in a local village.
The actions follow Trump’s directive to the Pentagon to prepare for potential military intervention in response to claims of Christian persecution in the West African nation.
