The USA has in West Africa Nigeria Apparently air strikes were carried out. The operation was directed against militants of the “Islamic State” in the northwest of the country, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday. The military intervention was justified by the fact that the terrorist group had killed Christians in the region.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander-in-Chief, the United States delivered a powerful and deadly strike against the ISIS terrorist group in northwestern Nigeria, which has primarily targeted and brutally murdered innocent Christians, on a scale not seen in many years, even centuries,” wrote Trump on his online platform Truth Social.
The military strike was carried out at the request of the Nigerian authorities, a US government official said. Accordingly, several IS fighters were killed during the operation in Sokoto state. Further details about the operation or a statement from the Nigerian government were initially not available.
The operation has been prepared since November
Already at the beginning of November, the US President Nigeria threatened with military strikes over alleged persecution of Christians. If the Nigerian government does not take action against the “killing of Christians by Islamist terrorists,” the US military could invade “guns blazing,” wrote Trump seven weeks ago on its online platform. Besides, they would USA immediately stop all aid to the African country. In November, Trump ordered the US Department of Defense to prepare for a possible deployment. “If we attack, it will be quick, vicious and decisive,” he said.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected Trump’s allegations at the time. Characterizing Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect the reality in the country or takes into account the government’s efforts to protect the freedom of religion and belief of all Nigerians. “Nigeria rejects and does not promote religious persecution,” wrote Tinubu on Platform X.
The US has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since the end of November, according to flight tracking data and current and former US officials, the Reuters news agency reported.
Christians and Muslims are affected by conflict
Nigeria is divided into a predominantly Muslim north and a largely Christian south. The most populous country in Africa is of numerous conflicts between different ethnicities and population groups embossed. Christians and Muslims are equally affected by the conflicts. Just yesterday a suspect died Suicide attack on a mosque in Nigeria at least five people and 35 others were injured. According to police, an attacker detonated an explosive device during evening prayers in the city of Maiduguri in the northeast of the country.
For years, among other things, this has been terrorizing Islamist militia Boko Haram the Nigerian population. In September, the jihadists killed in the northeast of the country at least 55 people. The group is fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state. For years, Boko Haram has also been carrying out attacks in the neighboring Central African countries of Chad and Cameroon. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the process.
