Cape Town, Dec 26, (dpa/GNA) – The US deadly airstrikes against the Islamic State in Nigeria, were a joint anti-terrorism operation, the Nigerian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
The attacks in the north-western state of Sokoto on Thursday were carried out, in consultation and cooperation with Washington to address “the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa said in a statement on X.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced the attacks were directed at Islamic State fighters, who had killed Christians in Nigeria, and would kill more if the militia continued to murder Christians. He did not disclose the number of dead.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, told the BBC that the anti-terrorist operation had “nothing to do with a particular religion.” Tuggar did not rule out further attacks.
He said the operation had been in the works “for quite some time” and the US had used Nigerian intelligence for the attack.
His ministry’s statement said Nigeria’s government was opposed to “terrorist violence in any form,” whether against Christians, Muslims or other communities.
Abuja was therefore working closely with partners to weaken terrorist networks and disrupt their financing and logistics, it said.
Trump had previously threatened military strikes in the West African country in early November, citing the killing of Christians by Islamist terrorists there as the justification.
GNA