Moore said that while Christians were allegedly killed during Christmas celebrations in Nigeria over the past two years, the situation was different this year because US forces carried out strikes against Islamist militants instead.
A United States congressman, Riley Moore, has linked the absence of mass Christmas attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria this year to American military action, contrasting it with deadly violence recorded during previous festive seasons.
Moore said that while Christians were allegedly killed during Christmas celebrations in Nigeria over the past two years, the situation was different this year because US forces carried out strikes against Islamist militants instead.
Writing on X on Saturday, the lawmaker stated, “For the past two Christmases, Christians have been murdered in Nigeria. This year, thanks to @POTUS, Radical Islamic Terrorists were on the receiving end of 12 Tomahawk missiles as a present.”
He added that, “The successful strikes on ISIS, in coordination with the Nigerian government, are just the first step to secure the country and end the slaughter of our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Moore’s comments followed an announcement by US President Donald Trump, who said on Thursday that American forces had conducted deadly strikes against Islamic State terrorists in northwestern Nigeria.
Trump also warned that further attacks would follow if the militants continued killing Christians.
The president disclosed this via his Truth Social platform, stating that the Department of War carried out what he described as “numerous perfect strikes.”
The Nigerian government has confirmed that it authorised and carried out what it described as “successful precision strikes” on suspected Islamic State (ISIS) enclaves in Sokoto State, in a joint operation coordinated with the United States government.
According to a statement released on Friday by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the airstrikes targeted two major ISIS locations inside the Bauni forest axis of Tangaza Local Government Area, Sokoto State.
The government said intelligence reports indicated that the camps were being used by foreign ISIS fighters infiltrating Nigeria from the Sahel region, working alongside local affiliates to plan large-scale terrorist attacks within the country.
The operation, which took place between 12:12am and 1:30am on Friday, December 26, 2025, was carried out after what the government described as “explicit approval” by President Bola Tinubu.
The statement read, "Intelligence confirmed that these locations were being used as assembly and staging grounds by foreign ISIS elements infiltrating Nigeria from the Sahel region, in collaboration with local affiliates, to plan and execute large-scale terrorist attacks within Nigerian territory.
"The precision strike operations were executed between 00:12 hours and 01:30 hours on Friday, 26 December, 2025, following explicit approval by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu.
"The operation was carried out under established command and control structures, with the full involvement of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and under the supervision of the Honourable Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Chief of Defence Staff."
Idris stated that the strikes were launched from maritime platforms domiciled in the Gulf of Guinea, after extensive intelligence gathering, operational planning, and reconnaissance.
He explained that a total of 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were deployed using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms, successfully neutralising the targeted ISIS elements attempting to penetrate Nigeria from the Sahel corridor.
"During the course of the operation, debris from expended munitions fell in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and in Offa, Kwara State, near the premises of a hotel. No civilian casualties were recorded in either location, and relevant authorities promptly secured the affected areas."