…as Nigeria’s Government confirms the airstrikes on Friday.
Washington DC, United States — The iNews Times reports that a United States congressman, Riley Moore, has drawn a sharp contrast between deadly Christmas attacks on Christians in Nigeria and US military airstrikes carried out on Christmas Day this year, describing the strikes as a shift from years of bloodshed to direct action against extremist groups.
Moore made the remarks in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, noting that while Nigerian Christians were killed during the past two Christmas seasons, American forces were deployed this year against Islamist militants operating in the country.
“For the past two Christmases, Christians have been murdered in Nigeria,” Moore wrote. “This year, thanks to @POTUS, Radical Islamic Terrorists were on the receiving end of 12 Tomahawk missiles as a present.”
He added that the airstrikes targeting Islamic State (ISIS) elements, carried out in coordination with the Nigerian government, marked an initial step toward ending attacks on Christian communities.
“The successful strikes on ISIS, in coordination with the Nigerian government, are just the first step to secure the country and end the slaughter of our brothers and sisters in Christ,” the congressman stated.
Moore’s comments followed an announcement by US President Donald Trump, who said on Thursday that American forces had conducted deadly airstrikes against Islamic State terrorists in Northwestern Nigeria.
The president, in a post on his Truth Social platform, warned that further attacks would follow if the militants continued killing Christians, adding that the Department of War had executed “numerous perfect strikes.”
Nigeria’s Federal Government later confirmed the airstrikes on Friday, according to reports.
The remarks come against the backdrop of recurrent Christmas-season violence in parts of Nigeria. On Christmas Eve 2023, at least 140 people were reportedly killed, with several others missing, after gunmen attacked multiple remote villages in Plateau State.
Similarly, on Christmas Day 2024, herdsmen were said to have attacked five predominantly Christian communities in Benue State, killing at least 33 people, according to separate reports.
