Trump ordered Pentagon to protect Nigerian Christians targeted by ISIS, says Hegseth

Former President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to prioritize the protection of Christians in Nigeria who were being targeted and killed by ISIS-linked groups, according to former Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Hegseth stated that Trump issued this directive about a year ago after hearing about the attacks on Christians in Nigeria.

“

Maybe a year ago, he heard the call of Nigerian Christians who were being targeted and killed by ISIS in Nigeria, and he said, ‘Pete, I want the War Department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians.’

"Pete, I want the War Department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians," Hegseth recounted Trump saying. The operation involved discreet coordination and the deployment of military assets. Hegseth reported that over the past month, ISIS's second-in-command in Nigeria, identified as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, who was most responsible for killing Christians and targeting the U.S. homeland, was killed.

“

And we got the assets there, and over the last month, and there hasn’t been much coverage of this, we killed ISIS number two in Nigeria, who’s most responsible for killing Christians and trying to target the U.S. homeland.

Intelligence gathered during this operation contributed to the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in a joint operation involving U.S. and Nigerian forces in the Lake Chad Basin. Hegseth also stated that the operation led to the deaths of "hundreds" of ISIS fighters connected to attacks on Christians in Nigeria and threats against the United States.

“

PUNCH Online reported that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was killed in a coordinated US-Nigeria military operation in northeast Nigeria earlier this month.

Hegseth presented the operation as a reflection of the Trump administration's commitment to counterterrorism and the protection of vulnerable communities. He noted that while the media often focuses on certain actions, the president empowered the Department of Defense to undertake significant efforts on behalf of the American people for which he deserves credit.

“

And have since, because of the intel we gathered, killed hundreds of ISIS members who were targeting and killing Christians in Nigeria.