Former U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed why he authorised a military airstrike targeting Sokoto State, Nigeria, on Christmas Day, saying the timing was deliberate and symbolic.
Trump made the disclosure on Thursday while speaking to attendees at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.
According to him, the operation was aimed at ISIS militants whom he accused of carrying out mass killings of Christians in Nigeria.
He said the decision to strike on December 25 was intentional, explaining that he wanted the attack to send a strong and unmistakable message.
“I ordered very powerful airstrikes to wipe out ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians by the thousands,” Trump said. “It’s almost impossible to believe what’s been happening there.”
Military Proposal
Trump noted that the military had initially proposed carrying out the operation on a different date, but he insisted it must happen on Christmas Day.
“They wanted to do it earlier or later, and I said no—do it on Christmas,” he said. “I wanted them to understand it.”
He also linked the timing of the strike to his long-standing rhetoric about restoring the prominence of Christmas in public life, recalling his 2015 presidential campaign announcement.
“When I ran in 2015, I said we were going to bring back Christmas,” Trump said. “People didn’t even want to say the word anymore. Now we’re saying it again.”
A Tougher Stand
Trump stated that the operation was conducted in cooperation with Nigerian authorities, though he suggested the country needed to take a tougher stance against extremist groups.
“On Christmas Day, we worked very closely with the Nigerian government,” he said. “But they’ve got to get stronger in dealing with this.”
According to Trump, he personally instructed then-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to ensure the strike took place exactly on Christmas Day.
Also Read: Peter Obi Slams Senate Over Rejection of Electronic Voting Bill
“I told Pete very specifically—Christmas Day, not before and not after,” he said. “And they hit them hard. So hard they didn’t know what happened.”
He added that further strikes were carried out afterward, describing them as equally forceful.