At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed detailed coordination between the American and Nigerian governments in ordering lethal air strikes against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria on Christmas Day, while also offering high praise for Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Trump told the audience of global political, civic, and faith leaders that the operation was a direct response to the jihadist group’s violence against Christians.
“On Christmas Day in close coordination with the government of Nigeria, we worked with them,” Trump stated, before adding a pointed note, “but they’ve got to get tougher.”
He explained his decision-making process behind the timing of the strikes, which targeted terrorists in northwestern Sokoto state.
“I ordered powerful air strikes to decimate the ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians in that country by the thousands. It’s not even believable,” he said.
Emphasising the symbolic weight of the date, Trump recounted, “We hit them so hard they still don’t know what the hell happened. And we were going to do it on a different day. I said no, do it on Christmas. So they understand it.”
He connected this to his political narrative, recalling, “Remember, Christmas was when I ran in 2015… I said we’re going to bring back Christmas because the word Christmas was almost gone.”
The U. S President gave specific credit for the execution of the order, saying, “I specifically told Pete, I said hit them on Christmas Day, not earlier and not later. And man, did he hit them. So then we hit them again recently. We hit them again pretty hard.”
The U.S. Department of Defense had confirmed on December 26 that “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed in the strikes, which were conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities.
Shifting tone, Trump turned his attention to a distinguished guest, Nigeria’s First Lady, whom he warmly acknowledged. “We are honoured to be joined today by the First Lady of Nigeria, who also happens to serve as a Christian pastor at the largest church in Nigeria — a very respected woman. Thank you very much, it’s a great honour, a very respected person too”, he said.
Her presence placed her among prominent global leaders at the annual event, which is designed for prayer and reflection on leadership and governance.
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