The US airstrikes on Nigeria on Christmas Day were supported by information provided by the Nigerian government, the country’s foreign minister said on Friday.
Donald Trump announced an attack against the Islamic State group in northwestern Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the group of targeting Christians.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tugar said Friday that he had “extensive” phone conversations with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio before and after the attack.
He said Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu had given the “green light” for the airstrike. Mr Tager did not rule out the possibility of further strikes, saying it was an “ongoing process” involving other countries.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Taggar insisted the strike had “nothing to do with any particular religion”. He said the operation “has nothing to do with Christmas. It could be any other day. It has to do with terrorist attacks that are killing Nigerians.”
US warns of further attacks on Nigeria
Hours after U.S. military action against extremist camps that President Donald Trump characterized as an effort to stop the killing of Christians, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned of further attacks on Islamic State targets in northwestern Nigeria.
Hegseth told X: “The president made it clear last month: The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and the rest of the world) must end. The (Department of Defense) is always ready. So tonight, on Christmas, ISIS found out. More to come…”
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Trump supporters praise US military strike in Nigeria as ‘great Christmas present’
The US Christmas Day airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Nigeria drew praise from supporters of Donald Trump, who have been agitating for months for a strong response from the president to the killing of Christians in the country.
Far-right political activist Laura Loomer posted, “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Christmas than to avenge the deaths of Christians through the rightful mass murder of Islamic terrorists,” adding, “You’ll love it! Death to all Islamic terrorists! Thank you.”
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Exclusive: British campaigners targeted by Trump speak out
A British anti-disinformation campaigner who was told he could be expelled from the US by the Trump administration says he is being targeted by arrogant and “anti-social” technology companies as he tries to hold them to account.
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Zelenskiy to hold further tense meeting with President Trump on Sunday
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is scheduled to visit the United States for talks with President Donald Trump scheduled for Sunday, as Washington continues to push for a possible peace deal between Kiev and Moscow.
The Ukrainian president said the visit would take place at a location in Florida — widely expected to be Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — and would be the latest development in a diplomatic push that began in November with the distribution of a 28-point U.S. plan formed with input from Russian officials.
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What else are you reading today:
Janessa Goldbeck, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, consulted on a 2023 documentary about the war games of a presidential candidate launching a military coup. In 2024, she advised local leaders on the hypothetical deployment of troops to the streets to crack down on immigration. Then Donald Trump won, and Goldbeck’s nightmare became a reality. In an interview with the Guardian, the chief executive of the Vet Voice Foundation said: “It’s a bit surreal that what we’ve been talking about, thinking about and stressing about becomes reality.”
Read the full story: How a former U.S. Marine played a key role in the fight against President Trump’s aggressive immigration controls
In early October, Tracy Wright encouraged a group of fellow knitters to gather outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon, to knit and protest President Trump’s immigration crackdown. They eventually named themselves “Knitters Against Fascism” and returned weekly. They spoke to the Guardian about building a movement.
Read the full story: ‘Weapons of mass construction’: US ‘artisans’ fight back against Trump with string
For more than a decade, he’s built a brand on two words: “You’re fired!” And Donald Trump hasn’t shied away from showing his staff the door during his first term, often through offensive tweets. But since returning to office as president of the United States in January, the former reality TV show host seems to have become an uncharacteristically shy boss, more willing to hire than fire. David Smith takes a closer look at Trump’s new loyalties.
Read the full story: ‘Loyalty above all else’: Trump was once known for frequently changing his staff. No more
CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss defended her decision to pull an episode of 60 Minutes investigating allegations about El Salvador’s notorious prison, insisting the network’s priority is to ensure its coverage is “inclusive and fair.” Weiss’s last-minute decision to host the episode sparked outrage and accusations of censorship under Donald Trump’s second administration. Some conservative commentators, generally aligned with the president, have defended the move.
Read the full story: Bari Weiss defends decision to cancel 60 Minutes episode about El Salvadoran prisons
Will you catch up? This is what happened on December 25, 2025.
