Nigeria vs. Trump ISIS timeline: The US's "guns-a-blazing" response to the "persecution of Christians"

The strikes against ISIS were conducted as part of continued security cooperation with the United States, according to Nigeria's foreign ministry. This is all the information you require.

US President Donald Trump claimed in a social media tweet on Thursday that the US has launched a "powerful and deadly" strike against ISIS (Islamic State group) in Nigeria. He called IS "terrorist scum" and charged that they were "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians."

The strikes, according to Nigeria's foreign ministry, were conducted as part of continued security cooperation with the US, which includes strategic coordination and intelligence sharing to target extremist organizations.

"This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West," the ministry wrote in an X post.

This is a chronology of Trump versus ISIS in Nigeria:
Since October of this year, Trump has been accusing and taking action against ISIS in Nigeria.

October 31, 2025: Due to allegations of anti-Christian violence, Trump declared Nigeria a "Country of Particular Concern" under US legislation.

"Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria," Trump wrote in a subsequent post. Christians are being murdered in the thousands. This mass murder is the fault of radical Islamists. To put it mildly, I am designating Nigeria as a "COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN."

Additionally, he gave the Department of War instructions to get ready for any combat. "Just as terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians, our attack will be swift, ferocious, and sweet! "THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST," he warned.

November 2-4: According to Africa News, Nigerian officials vehemently deny Trump's allegations that their country permits the "mass killings" of Christians by Islamists.

According to reports, Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu defended his nation's religious freedom laws, saying that the assertions did not fairly represent the country's reality.

According to a presidential spokesperson, Nigeria would welcome US support in combating an ongoing Islamist insurgency, provided that its territorial integrity was upheld, according to Africa News.

November 19: Mohammed Idris Malagi, Nigeria's Minister of Information and National Orientation, disputed Trump, telling Al Jazeera that although the nation does face security issues, the majority of attacks are not motivated by religious beliefs.

Malagi was cited as saying, "Nigeria has a history of violent extremism that has created tension for us in the country, but I also want to point out that mostly they don't discriminate between who is a Muslim or who is a Christian." "These extremists have attacked Muslim and Christian communities," he stated.

The allegations that Christians are being singled out, according to Malagi, are the result of a "lack of proper understanding of the diversity and complexity of the situation that we have in Nigeria."

December 25: Islamic State (ISIS) fighters were the target of US airstrikes in northwest Nigeria. According to Trump, the strikes were a reaction to attacks on Christians by extremists. He said that they were a part of initiatives to combat what he referred to as a "existential threat" to Christian communities.

Christians and Muslims make up about equal numbers of Nigeria's 220 million inhabitants. The extremist organization Boko Haram, which aims to impose its extreme interpretation of Islamic law and has targeted Muslims it believes are not sufficiently Muslim, is one of the many causes of the nation's long-standing insecurity.