ISWAP loyalists mock Trump, predict U.S. defeat in any Nigeria invasion – Report

Supporters of the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) have challenged US President Donald Trump’s recent warning to Nigeria, saying any American military intervention would fail, according to an analysis by SITE Intelligence Group.

The group said it had collected and translated posts from IS-aligned accounts that framed a potential US deployment as a “fool’s errand” and sought to bolster the group’s image of resilience in the region.

President Trump announced on Saturday that the United States would immediately halt all aid and assistance to Nigeria if its government continues to allow the killing of Christians.

The President also stated that the U.S. might deploy forces into the country “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists” responsible for the violence.

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

But, according to SITE Intelligence, ISWAP supporters posted messages that welcomed a confrontation and predicted a US withdrawal in defeat.

One translated post read: “The Roman mule Trump, may Allah destroy him, threatens military intervention in Nigeria (West Africa) to stop the killing of the Crusaders. Come at us, O enemy of Allah, for we will make you taste what we made your ancestors taste in Iraq.”

Another user noted that foreign forces would lack a clear objective and the commitment required for prolonged conflict: “If the Roman mule enters it, he will leave dragging the tails of defeat. All praise is due to Allah. The Islamic State in West Africa is not confined to a small state or a specific city, but it is spread throughout all of West Africa. The Romans’ aircraft does not have a particular place to bomb, and their soldiers have no defined objective and lack the resolve of the mujahideen.”
SITE’s translation also recorded commentary accusing Washington of ulterior motives.

“These days, Trump is covetous of Nigeria’s oil and gold and wants to enter it to ‘prevent Islamist terrorists from killing Christians,’” one post said, adding that concern for religious minorities was a pretext for economic or strategic aims.

The posts, SITE said, circulated on IS-sympathetic channels after Mr Trump’s public warning. SITE Intelligence Group provides monitoring and analysis of extremist and violent extremist online content; its report included translations of the messages but did not indicate a direct operational command from ISWAP leadership.(Guardian)