FeaturedUS says more strikes expected in Nigeriatheguardian.com International News Dec - 26 - 2025 , 15:51 4 minutes readThe US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of new strikes against Islamic State targets in north-western Nigeria, hours after the US military took action against militant camps in what Donald Trump has characterised as efforts to stop the killing of Christians. Hegseth wrote on X: “The president was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. Merry Christmas!”Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the US strikes, which came after Trump had accused Nigeria’s government of failing to stop Christians being killed in the country, were “part of joint ongoing operations”. Nigeria is officially secular and its population is almost evenly split between Muslims (53%) and Christians (45%). Nigeria provided the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told the country’s Channels Television on Friday.

Source: The Guardian December 26, 2025 15:57 UTC