Overview
- In a New York Times interview, President Donald Trump said further U.S. strikes are likely if killings of Christians continue, reiterating warnings he began making in late October.
- The U.S. military says the December 25 operation in northwest Nigeria targeted Islamic State militants at Nigeria’s request, and Abuja described it as a joint, non‑sectarian counterterrorism strike.
- The Washington Post reported that 4 of 16 Tomahawk missiles failed to detonate and quoted an AFRICOM official calling the mission likely not very effective, with uncertainty over the precise targets.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled after the strike that additional actions could follow.
- Nigerian officials and security experts argue any follow‑up must be jointly authorized and conducted with Nigerian oversight to protect sovereignty and ensure proper targeting.