The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has revealed that President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to make the protection of Nigerian Christians—specifically those targeted by ISIS-affiliated groups—a top priority.
Read more: Hegseth: Trump Directive Led to Anti-ISIS Strikes in NigeriaSpeaking at a White House press conference on Wednesday, Hegseth explained that President Trump issued this directive about a year ago, after learning of the increasing attacks on Christians in Nigeria.
Hegseth detailed that the U.S. response involved covert coordination and the deployment of military resources, resulting in the gathering of critical intelligence. This intelligence played a pivotal role in a joint U.S.-Nigerian operation in the Lake Chad Basin that led to the death of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as ISIS’s second-in-command.
“About a year ago, President Trump heard the pleas of Nigerian Christians who were being targeted and killed by ISIS in Nigeria. He told me, ‘Pete, I want the War Department to do everything possible to protect those Christians,’” Hegseth recounted.
He emphasized that these efforts have significantly advanced the fight against terrorism in the region. “We deployed assets, and although it hasn’t received much media coverage, over the last month we eliminated ISIS’s number two in Nigeria—someone deeply involved in attacks on Christians and plots against the U.S. homeland,” Hegseth stated.
Further, Hegseth noted that intelligence collected during the mission enabled U.S. and Nigerian forces to neutralize several more ISIS fighters responsible for violence against Christians and threats to the United States. He added that, acting on this intelligence, hundreds of ISIS members targeting Christians in Nigeria have been killed.
Hegseth described the operation as part of the Trump administration’s broader commitment to counterterrorism and the protection of vulnerable communities. “Much of what we do receives attention, but there are also crucial actions the President empowers the Department to take on behalf of the American people for which he deserves great credit,” Hegseth concluded.
Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s second-in-command, was killed in a coordinated U.S.-Nigerian military operation in northeast Nigeria earlier this month.
