Goa, Dec. 26 -- In a bold statement late Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States had launched a "powerful and deadly strike" against Islamic State militants in north-western Nigeria. He described the group as "terrorist scum" and accused it of killing primarily innocent Christians. Trump said the operation involved "numerous perfect strikes," framing it as part of a broader effort to curb radical Islamic terrorism.

Africom later confirmed that the attack took place in Sokoto state and was carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar called the action a "joint operation" targeting terrorists and emphasized that it was not aimed at any religion. He indica...