A member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, has attributed the absence of Christmas attacks in Nigeria this year to U.S. military airstrikes carried out against Islamist militants on Christmas Day.
Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, made the claim in a post on his official X account on Saturday, contrasting this year’s Christmas with previous ones marked by deadly attacks on Christians in parts of Nigeria.
According to the lawmaker, rather than another season of violence against civilians, extremist groups were targeted through decisive military action.
“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,” Moore wrote.
He said the airstrikes, which he described as successful, were carried out against ISIS targets in coordination with the Nigerian government, adding that the operation marked an important step toward restoring security in the country.
“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,” he added.
The comments followed earlier remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who disclosed that American forces had launched airstrikes against Islamic State militants in north-western Nigeria.
Trump, speaking via his Truth Social platform on Thursday, warned that further attacks would be carried out if the militants continued killing Christians, noting that the U.S. Department of War had executed several “perfect strikes” against terrorist targets.
