On December 25 (local time), President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military had carried out a "powerful and deadly airstrike" against Islamic State (IS) terrorists in northwestern Nigeria.

Donald Trump, President of the United States (left), and Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

원본보기 아이콘

On the same day, President Trump stated on the social media platform Truth Social, "Under my orders as Commander-in-Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly attack against an IS terrorist group in northwestern Nigeria," adding, "The U.S. Department of War executed a perfect strike, something only America can do, on multiple occasions."

President Trump said that IS terrorists have been killing Christians in Nigeria and that "I warned in advance that if they do not stop the massacre of Christians, they will pay a tremendous price, and tonight, that happened." He continued, "May God bless our troops, and I wish a Merry Christmas to everyone, including the dead terrorists," emphasizing that as long as the massacre of Christians continues, more terrorists will die.

Children are attending a Christmas carol service at Elshadai Baptist Church in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Some speculate that U.S. President Donald Trump's sudden interest in Nigeria is related to the country's abundant mineral resources. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

원본보기 아이콘

Previously, President Trump had mentioned that massacres of Christians were taking place in Nigeria and indicated the possibility of deploying military force to stop it. According to CNN, last month President Trump instructed Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense (Department of War), to prepare all possible measures to protect Christians in Nigeria, warning, "We may resort to the use of force."

In Nigeria, bloody clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers have continued for a long time. However, since these conflicts have persisted for many years and Christians are not the only victims, some observers suggest that President Trump's sudden interest in Nigeria may be related to the country's abundant mineral resources.