Trump vows US support for Nigeria against terrorism

 

United States President Donald Trump has written to President Bola Tinubu, vowing that the US will stand with Nigeria in its ongoing battle against terrorism and religious violence.

Trump commended the resolve of the Nigerian leader to tackle pressing national challenges, specifically pointing out the violence affecting Christian communities across the country.

In the letter dated July 6, 2026, the American leader stated, “Dear Mr President, Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people.”

Trump continued, “I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities, and it is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.”

Emphasising the strategic importance of the bilateral relationship, Trump wrote, “The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world.”

He added, “We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms, and our historic US-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap has established a robust framework to accomplish this feat.”

Highlighting security collaboration, Trump stated, “I am proud to have deployed United States Special Operations Forces, among the most elite military units anywhere in the world, to equip the brave men and women of the Armed Forces of Nigeria with the skills, tools and intelligence they need to protect your homeland and ensure the safety and security of citizens, particularly those of faith who have been under attack.”

The US President concluded, “I look forward to our continued discussions over the course of my presidency.”

The letter follows earlier security agreements reached between Trump and Tinubu in November last year to establish a Joint Working Group co-chaired by their national security advisers. The initiative resulted in a coordinated attack on May 16 against ISIS hideouts in the Lake Chad region, leading to the death of top leader Abubakar Al-Minuki and several lieutenants. Last week, US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Frank Garcia, also visited Abuja to reinforce bilateral commitments.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State reaffirmed its commitment to combating global terrorism during a ministerial meeting in Washington convened by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which was attended by representatives from 66 nations.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Ambassador Gregory D. LoGerfo, Coordinator and Ambassador-at-Large for Counter-terrorism, stated, “For all three, we need to identify terror actors and plots before they happen.”

LoGerfo noted, “For the last 25 years, U.S. counterterrorism and that of our partners have meant, first and foremost, the fight against Islamic terrorism.”

He stated further, “Our sustained campaign against Islamic terrorists has been very effective through global diplomacy and cooperation, a unified attack on terrorist financial networks, and military action by the United States and our partners.”

The ambassador added, “But jihadist groups remain a danger and we remain vigilant in our efforts to counter them”

In Nigeria, military operations under Operation HADIN KAI delivered significant blows to insurgent groups in the North-East. Fresh battle damage assessments confirmed that a precision drone strike executed on July 21 at Kila Bariya in the Southern Lake Chad axis killed at least 20 ISWAP fighters.

The air strike targeted a major logistics hub, destroying over 30 newly acquired motorcycles and a large food storage facility containing confiscated agricultural produce.

A senior military source commented, “The destruction of the motorcycles will significantly reduce the terrorists’ ability to conduct rapid raids and reinforcement across the difficult Lake Chad terrain, while the loss of the food stockpile will further degrade their capacity to sustain prolonged operations,”.

In a separate engagement at Cross Kauwa in the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State on July 12, 2026, military forces eliminated Abu Salim al-Barnawi, a former raid commander who served as ISWAP chief photographer and propaganda chief.

The military confirmed that Abu Salim was killed alongside mobile media team members Abu Umar Khattab and Abu Khalid Usman. The offensive also resulted in the death of a Syrian-Arab commander identified as Aliyu Zabarmari, while another foreign mercenary remains missing.