President Donald Trump announced strikes against Nigeria on Christmas Day, marking the first time the United States has bombed the African nation as part of its counterterrorism efforts abroad.
Trump, as well as his predecessors, former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, have previously launched strikes at several other Asian and African countries in efforts to combat ISIS.
Why It Matters
The strikes in northwest Nigeria on Thursday marked an escalation in the United States' international involvement in Nigeria's ongoing battle with ISIS. The region has seen growing violence over recent months, and members of the Trump administration have repeatedly raised concerns about violence against Christians in the nation.
It comes after decades of foreign policy targeted at reducing the threat of terrorism abroad. Recent administrations have seen an increase in strikes against suspected terrorist groups over the past few decades amid the expansion of "War on Terror" policies. Trump campaigned on starting no new wars ahead of his victory last November, but his administration, like those before, has continued a policy of strikes in several nations. Questions about whether the U.S. should be bombing other countries, especially without explicit approval from Congress, have remained a looming political question in the U.S.
What to Know
Trump announced the strike in a post on Truth Social around 6 p.m. on Thursday, saying the strike targeted "ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria." United States Africa Command confirmed the strikes were conducted "in coordination with Nigerian authorities." Their initial assessment is that multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the strike, according to a statement.
Trump and his predecessors supported policies carrying out the decades-long "War on Terror," a cornerstone of 21st-century American foreign policy. This has meant that several countries home to terror groups have been targeted by U.S. bombs and drone strikes over the past several administrations.
In addition to Nigeria, Trump also struck Iran earlier this summer -- something neither Biden nor Obama did. Trump has also launched strikes at suspected narcotic smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea amid escalating tensions with Venezuela, but his administration has not struck the country itself.
All three presidents carried out operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Many of those strikes, such as those targeting Somalia, were targeting ISIS.
Both the Obama and Trump administrations launched strikes against Libya and Pakistan, but those did not occur while Biden was president. Many of these countries have been engaged in years of turmoil or civil wars.
Data from the think tank New America shows that Biden carried out less military action in some countries compared to Obama or Trump during his first term.
The think tank reported that in Yemen, for instance, there were roughly 182 drone or air strikes carried out during the Obama administration, roughly 104 during the Trump administration and about four during the Biden administration; it noted that U.S. Central Command said there were 131 air strikes in Yemen in 2017 but there is "insufficient detail" about those strikes.
The strikes carried out during the Obama administration drew scrutiny toward Obama's victory in the 2009 peace prize, which he won "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." Critics argued that those strikes resulted in the killings of more than 100 civilians and showed he should not have received the prize.
Trump has also been lobbying to win the Nobel Peace Prize, pointing to his efforts at promoting a peace deal between Israel and Hamas to put an end to their years-long conflict; like with Obama, critics have questioned whether he should receive the award, as his administration has continued carrying out strikes in the Middle East and Africa. Trump did win FIFA's inaugural peace prize earlier in December.
Why Did the US Strike Nigeria?
Trump announced the strike against Nigeria in a post to Truth Social in which he pointed to recent attacks against Christians as the reason for the bombing.
"Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries! 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. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing," he wrote.
The president continued, "Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues."
Earlier this year, Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Act following reports of the killings of Christians in parts of Nigeria. The Nigerian government has dismissed claims that there is a genocide against Christians in the country.
What People Are Saying
Former Michigan GOP Representative Justin Amash criticized the Nigerian strike on X: "There's no authority for strikes on terrorists in Nigeria or anywhere on earth. The 2001 AUMF is only for the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. The War Powers Resolution doesn't grant any authority beyond the Constitution. Offensive military actions need congressional approval. The Framers of the Constitution divided war powers to protect the American people from war-eager executives. Whether the United States should engage in conflicts across the globe is a decision for the people's representatives in Congress, not the president."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X after the strike: "The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight -- on Christmas. More to come... Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!"
U.S. Africa Command wrote to X on Thursday: "At the direction of the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, and in coordination with Nigerian authorities, U.S. Africa Command conducted strikes against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria on Dec. 25, 2025, in Sokoto State."
What Happens Next
Tensions between the U.S. and countries such as Venezuela remain high; whether the Trump administration's approach to these foreign policy matters shifts in the new year is yet to be seen.