US Strikes ISIS Terrorists in Nigeria, Turkey Arrests Suspected ISIS Members Ahead of Holidays

The United States has confirmed that they struck down scores of ISIS-affiliated terrorists in Nigeria due to their persistent attacks on Christians.

US President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he had ordered strikes on the northwestern Nigerian state of Sokoto, which borders Niger, after communicating with the Nigerian government.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with around 237 million people– approximately 43% of which are Christian. Slightly more than half of Nigeria's population follows Islam, primarily in northern states like Sokoto, while southern Nigeria has a larger Christian dominance.

Nevertheless, clashes between the two religions have been a major source of violence in the country for decades, particularly due to small land disputes and resource arguments between Nigerian Christians and Muslims. Furthermore, the faiths have been heavily politicized, heightening tensions, and several extremist Islamic terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State – also known as ISIS – have attempted to eliminate Christianity completely.

Now, the United States – a predominantly Christian nation – has taken action. Yesterday, on Christmas Day, the country launched over a dozen Tomahawk missiles from a US Navy ship off the coast of Nigeria, killing several terrorists in Sokoto.

Trump declared that the targets, who he described as "ISIS terrorist scum," had been persecuting and killing Christians in the region, and praised the strikes as "perfect." He also warned that the blasts would continue if ISIS operations in Sokoto failed to come to a halt.

According to CNN, the Nigerian Foreign Ministry backed Trump's statements and confirmed their commitment to protecting all citizens, regardless of faith, race, or ethnicity.

Meanwhile, Turkey has arrested over 115 suspected ISIS terrorists across the country, potentially preventing the deaths of dozens of people during the holiday season.

According to the Turkish government, at least 137 people were suspected of having participated in the planning of several attacks during the holidays, specifically during Christmas and New Year's. So far, 115 of them have been arrested, and authorities have confirmed that the Islamic State, or ISIS, was behind the plans.

Police found various objects of interest, like firearms, ammunition, and possibly-important documents at the places of arrest, which could give Turkey a closer look into ISIS' operations and what plans were set to be executed. They were likely targeting celebrations for other religions during this time of year, like Christmas, which is common for the widely-hated terrorist group.

Followers of their ideology believe that Islam is the only permissible religion, and they observe a very strict interpretation of Sharia Law while working to eliminate other peoples, religions, and governments other than their own.

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Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If you don’t have what you like, like what you have. (Polish Proverb)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Hark back (verb, HAHRK-BAK) - Harking back can be about turning back to an earlier topic or circumstance, as in "a storyteller harking back to his youth," or it can be about going back to something as an origin or source, as in "a style that harks back to the turn of the previous century."

In a Sentence: The dinner conversation harked back to the lunch debate over what counts as a traditional holiday meal.

Image credit to PBS