On Christmas Day, U.S. Navy vessels in the Gulf of Guinea fired more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets in Sokoto State, located in Nigeria’s northwest. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for “systematic violations of religious freedom” and threatened to cut all aid and take military action on Oct. 31.
Trump stated that the attack was against Daesh and justified it on Truth Social as follows: “They have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries!”
The Nigerian government also stated that the attack was carried out in cooperation and was aimed at dismantling terrorist cells in the country.
However, Trump's statement has been viewed with skepticism for several reasons.
Firstly, he not only does not oppose Israel's massacre of Christians and bombing of churches in Palestine, but he also supports the perpetrators of genocide. Does he perhaps not consider Christians who are critical of Israel’s genocidal acts to be “innocent?” Most likely.
Secondly, the targeted Sokoto region is described as a Muslim-majority area where Muslims are primarily persecuted. The group targeted here is believed to be Lakurawa, and according to Al Jazeera, their primary victims are Muslim civilians, not Christians. Whereas, as many people state, the “Christian genocide” narrative, often championed by U.S.
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