U.S. Congressman Riley Moore has thanked President Donald Trump for ordering the Pentagon’s prioritisation of Nigerian Christian protection from ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).

In a statement on Wednesday on his official X account, Rep. Moore hailed President Trump for enabling a joint US-Nigerian strike that killed ISIS’s global second-in-command, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.

Moore’s appreciation for Trump came after Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, had detailed in a White House meeting how the mission and gathered intelligence led to the deaths of hundreds of ISIS fighters tied to Christian attacks and US homeland threats.

“There’s a lot of things we do that the media pays attention to, and a lot of things that the president empowers the Department to do on behalf of the American people, that he deserves great credit for,” said Hegseth.

Reacting, Moore said: “Thank you, President Trump, for defending our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in Nigeria who have faced unspeakable slaughter and martyrdom at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists.

“President Trump’s steadfast leadership paved the way to these successful strikes on ISIS, including the mission that killed Abu-Bilal al-Muniki, ISIS’ #2 globally.

“This strike sent a clear message to the world – those who target innocent Christians will be hunted down and brought to justice. Never test @POTUS’s resolve.”

Nigeria’s Christian persecution involves ISIS affiliates like ISWAP, Boko Haram, and Fulani militants, who have killed thousands and displaced millions, driving increased US-Nigerian counterterrorism coordination.

The death of Al-Manuki earlier this month, along with several of his top lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin demonstrates the capacity and willingness of the Nigeria and the United States to take the fight to terrorist organisations.

Al-Manuki was no ordinary terrorist. He had a long and deep involvement with ISIS and Boko Haram rising to become the Head of the General Directorate of States in February 2026 making him one of the most prominent and most influential terrorists in the world.

He had directed operations across West Africa resulting in countless deaths of ordinary people and the widespread destruction of homes and livelihoods. He despatched his fighters across Africa, for example to Libya in 2015 and 2016 to further spread his web of terror and violence.

The operation against Al-Manuki demonstrates the deepening commitment by Nigerian and the United States to work together to destroy these groups. This was a complex and well executed operation encompassing strategic support, intelligence sharing and joint operations.