President Donald Trump ordered Christmas airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria, targeting ISIS terrorists near the Niger border after attacks on Christians.
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PresidentDonaldTrumpistakingactionagainstIslamicStatemilitantsinnorthwestNigeria,followingthroughonpreviousthreatsandsigningoffonairstrikestargetingthegrouponThursday.
WhiletheChristmasstrikeszeroedinonISISmilitants,thereareanumberofviolentextremistorganizationsoperatinginAfrica’sSahelregion,whereU.S.officialsclaimtheyarecontinuingtogrowininfluenceandstrengthasviolencesurgesthere.
ThestrikesconductedonChristmasoccurredinNigeria’sSokotoStateontheborderofneighboringNiger.TheareaiswheretheIslamicState’s(IS)SahelProvince,whichislargelybasedinMali,Niger,andBurkinaFaso,has“madeinroadsintoNigeria,”accordingtoCalebWeiss,aneditorwiththeFoundationfortheDefenseofDemocracies’LongWarJournal.
“InSokoto,ithascarriedoutattacksagainstbothgovernmentforcesandcivilians,representingjustonejihadistgroupoperat
