Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: "The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West." Map shows area of U.S. strikes on ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria on Dec. 25, 2025. The State Department usually releases its annual Report on International Religious Freedom in the spring, but has not yet done so this year. Nigeria was first placed on the "country of particular concern" list by the U.S. in 2020 in what the State Department called "systematic violations of religious freedom."

Source: The North Africa Journal December 26, 2025 14:39 UTC