US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that the US and Nigerian government worked closely together to carry out Christmas Day airstrikes against ISIS targets in Sokoto.
Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Trump disclosed, “On Christmas Day in close coordination with the government of Nigeria, we worked with them, but they’ve got to get tougher.”
He explained that the strikes were intended to “decimate the ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians in that country by the thousands.”
Trump emphasized the significance of the timing, stating, “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.”
The US President revealed that he issued specific directives for the operation to take place on December 25.
“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 said.
According to the US Department of Defense, the attack, carried out at the request of Nigerian authorities, resulted in the deaths of “multiple ISIS terrorists.”
Trump had previously announced on December 26 that “powerful and deadly” strikes had been launched against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria after he warned the group to stop targeting Christians.
The National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event that gathers political and religious leaders from around the world, was also attended by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
During his address, Trump praised Mrs. Tinubu, referring to 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 the audience.
