On Christmas Day the United States launched strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State in Nigeria’s Sokoto state, in the north-west of the country, where militants have sought to establish a foothold.
President Trump’s response was triumphant. He described the strikes as “deadly”, labelled the terrorist group they targeted as “scum who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians”, and referred to the attack as a “Christmas present”. Nigeria was more cautious, with its foreign minister emphasising that the operation was a joint endeavour that had “nothing to do with a particular religion” and stating that it did not have “anything to do with Christmas”.
