The U.S. Department of War is taking steps to protect Christians in Nigeria.
Almost half of the African country is made up of Christians, according to U.S. War Department data.
"Maybe a year ago, [the president] heard the call of Nigerian Christians who were being targeted and killed by ISIS. … And he said, 'Pete, I want the War Department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians,'" War Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
It was the Trump administration's 12th cabinet meeting and Hegseth was among the cabinet members who took turns updating Trump in front of the press.
“He never wavered on it,” Hegseth said of the president on May 27. “We killed ISIS' No. 2 [commander], who was most responsible for killing Christians and trying to target the U.S. homeland.”
U.S. military officials allege that al-Minuki was an active ISIS terrorist with a history of involvement in planning attacks and directing hostage taking.
ISIS is a group of fundamentalist Islamic adherents to Sharia law that employs terrorism and insurgency to expand their religious beliefs.
"This operation underscores the exceptional value of the U.S.-Nigeria partnership and was made possible through the cooperation and coordination of our forces in recent months," Africom commander Dagvin Anderson said about the U.S. military operations against ISIS members.
Targeted attacks on Christian institutions and communities have occurred in Nigeria’s northern and central regions. For example, mass abduction and shooting incidents at religious services, such as in January, when more than 150 believers were kidnapped during a Sunday church ceremony in Kaduna state where armed men stormed three separate Christian churches at the same time.
“And [we] have since, because of the intel we gathered, killed hundreds of ISIS members who were targeting and killing Christians in Nigeria, creating a new opportunity there,” Hegseth said.
The government of Nigeria facilitated Africom's coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Africom, founded in 2007 by former President George W. Bush, is one of the Department of War's combat units that oversees U.S. military operations throughout the continent.
"Make no mistake, our two nations will relentlessly pursue and neutralize terrorist threats and are committed to protecting our people and interests," Anderson said.