THE terrorist Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) group has asked Christian communities in the North-East Nigeria to spare their blood and convert to Islam, noting they will be killed if they refuse to so.

This comes as ISWAP burned down a Christian village in Adamawa State.

A security expert, Mr Brant Philip, revealed this on Thursday in a viral video released by the terrorists.

“ISWAP released an image of one of the Christian villages in Adamawa State burning, alongside a statement saying that all Christians in Nigeria are legitimate targets, and they have an opportunity to ‘spare their blood’ by converting to Islam or paying the jizyah tax to ISWAP,” Brant Philip wrote on X.

United States President, Mr Donald Trump, said on the Christmas night that his government carried out airstrikes in North-West Nigeria, targeting ISIS militants he accused of killing Christians. He described the operation as ‘decisive’ and warned that more strikes would follow if the violence continued.

“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social.

READ ALSO: Christians face 5 times higher risk of deadly attacks in Nigeria, claims U.S. lawmaker

He said he had previously warned the militants that there would be consequences if the attacks did not stop, adding that the U.S. military conducted ‘numerous perfect strikes.’

“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper,” Trump added, while praising the U.S. military and sending Christmas greetings.

Netanyahu says Israel developing plans to support Christians in Nigeria

Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, strangely says his country is developing an agenda to support persecuted Christian communities in Nigeria.

Netanyahu disclosed this during a meeting with evangelical Christian leaders in Florida, where he described Israel as the only nation capable of protecting Christians globally.

“I see the battle against us and our Judeo-Christian tradition being waged around the world, primarily by radical Shiite and Sunni Islam,” he said, referencing Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood as key drivers.

He said these extremist networks had spread across Europe, the United States, Africa, including Nigeria, and the Middle East, resulting in widespread persecution of Christians in countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria and Turkey.

“We’re aware that one country protects the Christian community, enables it to grow, and ensures it thrives — and that country is Israel. There is no other,” he added.

Netanyahu said Israel was working with like-minded nations to support vulnerable Christian populations worldwide.

“Just as you are helping us, we want to help back — and we are capable of doing this, including in Africa through intelligence support,” he said. “This is a main part of our agenda.”

His comments came a day after his meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced air strikes in Nigeria on Christmas Day, saying they were aimed at stopping what he described as persecution of Christians.

Israel remains the only country to have openly backed the U.S. position on alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria. The two nations are longstanding allies. It is not clear what these nations’ plans for Nigeria is.

Trump has insisted that ISWAP, ISIS and other terrorist groups in Nigeria are basically targeting Christian communities, stating that he will not tolerate it.

In early November, Mr Trump had designated Nigeria as a ‘country of concern’ and threatened to cut off aid and enter the nation to root out terrorists if the government failed to take action against the alleged Christian genocide. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

He has carried out the first set of airstrikes and promised to return.