After Trump strikes Islamist terrorists, US general travels to Nigeria with militants 'on the run'

FIRST ON FOX: In Nigeria, Fox News Digital has been told terrorists are ‘on the run’ pursuing U.S. strikes past period aimed astatine stopping the sidesplitting of Christians successful Africa’s astir populous country, this arsenic a elder authoritative from U.S. Africa Command visited Nigeria this week.

According to the precocious released persecution watchdog Open Doors World Watch List, 3 retired of each 4 Christians killed for their religion worldwide person been murdered successful Nigeria. It is said to mean retired that 1 Christian is killed determination each 2 and a fractional hours.

Thursday successful Davos, Switzerland, President Trump confirmed, "In Nigeria we’re annihilating terrorists who are sidesplitting Christians. We’ve deed them precise hard. They’ve killed thousands and thousands of Christians."

CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN SYSTEMATIC KIDNAPPING CAMPAIGN IN NIGERIA BY JIHADI HERDSMEN, EXPERTS SAY

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, lawman commander, U.S. Africa Command, arriving successful Nigeria this week for talks with the Nigerians connected advancing coordinated efforts to amended information conditions and support susceptible communities crossed Nigeria. (U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)

This past week, the second-highest-ranking serviceman astatine U.S. Africa Command, a erstwhile U.S. Special Forces person who served successful Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. John Brennan, U.S. Army, served arsenic a cardinal subordinate of a U.S. delegation to Nigeria. Speaking exclusively to Fox News Digital from Abuja, the superior of Nigeria, Brennan elaborate U.S. moves connected the crushed to combat Islamic State and different jihadi panic groups.

Brennan gave Fox News Digital penetration into the U.S. military’s relation present successful Nigeria: "We are continuing to supply them (the Nigerians) quality support, airborne ISR, (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), things that volition marque them much accurate. And they had immoderate occurrence successful Sokoto post-strike due to the fact that of the enactment that the onslaught generated crossed the network."

The wide continued, "A batch of terrorists decided to fly the area, and it allowed the Nigerians the accidental to apprehension them." But helium added, "We're each astir enabling Nigerians to lick Nigerian problems. We privation to guarantee that they stay a information anchor for each of West Africa and they bash too. And truthful it's successful our communal involvement that we enactment together."

"They person a violent problem, Brennan said. "So we're trying to assistance make effects that volition halt them and their borders from getting incurred by violent organizations," helium concluded.

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"I decidedly person a bully crushed to judge that the people was hit," Illia Djadi, persecution expert for sub-Saharan Africa astatine Open Doors, told Fox News Digital. He added, "and (when) I accidental target, I mean these equipped men, radical oregon groups, their camps person been hit, and yet afflicting harm to them. They are connected the tally now. Fleeing successful antithetic directions. Some sources accidental immoderate person fled, possibly to neighboring Niger and others southbound and successful antithetic locations crossed Nigeria."

Djadi continued, "All these years, they person been acting and attacking with comparative full impunity. But this has changed now. They are frightened now. They are hit, and they recognize they tin beryllium deed again. So this is the symbolism."

Funerals for immoderate 27 Christians who were reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen successful the colony of Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria connected July, 28, 2025 (Courtesy: Christian Solidarity International (CSI))

He said, "The bombing resonated adjacent beyond Nigeria's borders," Djadi added, "even crossed Nigeria’s neighbors, similar Niger, Mali and different countries. People are watching due to the fact that of what happened, (thinking) if this tin hap to Nigeria, it tin hap to countries similar Mali, Niger oregon elsewhere. They are watching. They are taking enactment of that."

NIGERIA NAMED EPICENTER OF GLOBAL KILLINGS OF CHRISTIANS OVER FAITH IN 2025, REPORT SAYS

On Thursday, successful a plenary league with Brennan present, U.S. and Nigerian officials met to sermon practice pursuing President Trump’s designation of Nigeria arsenic a state of Particular Concern.

At the meeting, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker told those present, "Today we are present to  find however we tin enactment unneurotic to deter unit against Christian communities, prioritizing counterterrorism and insecurity, investigating attacks, holding perpetrators accountable and reducing the fig of killings, forced displacements and abductions of Christians."

The gathering took spot successful Abuja. Just implicit 80 miles away, 4 days earlier, the abduction of Christians continued, with implicit 160 worshipers kidnapped from 3 churches successful bluish Kaduna state, it is believed, during Sunday services.

At slightest 51 Christians were killed successful different onslaught successful Nigeria's Plateau state.  (Reuters)

In an interrogation with The New York Times earlier this month, President Trump said much strikes could beryllium made against Nigeria, "If they proceed to termination Christians, it volition beryllium a many-time strike."

This week, erstwhile asked if further strikes are possible, a U.S. defence authoritative told Fox News Digital, "That's a question for the White House. But I tin archer you our Nigerian partners are asking for much of our help. And truthful we're going to springiness it to them."

There are immoderate American boots connected the ground, but their numbers are not significant, Brennan said, adding, "a batch of appraisal (is) going on. So we person a tiny squad that the Nigerians invited in, and we're moving with them to measure their needs, and to make opportunities that we tin some capitalize connected together."

ANOTHER CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AT RISK IN AFRICA AS EXTREMISTS AND WAR TAKE THEIR TOLL

Some subject instrumentality is being shipped successful from the U.S., Brennan said, but "it's thing retired of the ordinary. It's things they (the Nigerians) had already purchased, arsenic acold arsenic ammunition, things that marque to assistance them beryllium much close successful their operations against ISIS, West Africa Province and Boko Haram."

Rabiu Ibrahim, Nigeria’s peculiar adjunct to the curate of accusation and nationalist orientation, told Fox News Digital, "Nigeria’s superior and unwavering stance is that terrorism, successful each its forms, is simply a planetary scourge that requires a collective, yet sovereignly respectful, response. The U.S. subject actions successful our portion are viewed done this lens. We admit that immoderate enactment which genuinely degrades the capableness of violent groups threatening the stableness of the Sahel and our ain nationalist information is simply a tactical constituent successful a overmuch larger strategical picture."

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, lawman commander, U.S. Africa Command meets Nigerian officials upon arriving successful Nigeria this week for talks connected  advancing coordinated efforts to amended information conditions and support susceptible communities crossed Nigeria. (U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)

Ibrahim added, "We person noted, done our ain quality and battlefield evidence, that specified outer kinetic actions tin disrupt bid structures, degrade logistics and make atmospherics of uncertainty among the remnants of groups similar ISWAP and Boko Haram." "Our practice with the United States is robust, multifaceted and transcends specified rhetoric," Ibrahim continued, saying it is focused on cardinal areas, including "capacity gathering and training: Nigerian units, peculiarly successful intelligence, aviation and peculiar operations, person received precocious grooming that straight enhances their operational effectiveness successful theater."

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Ibrahim said Nigeria besides benefits from the U.S. done quality sharing and worldly and method support, including night-vision capabilities, claiming "it is not a patron-client relationship, but a concern wherever Nigerian enactment connected the crushed is augmented by specific, requested outer support."