New evidence blows apart Trump's Christmas night attack claims: report

Donald Trump's Christmas night boast about military strikes against ISIS in Nigeria was undermined by a Washington Post report revealing significant operational failures.

On Christmas night, Trump posted on Truth Social: "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, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries! The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing."

Saturday's Post report contradicted the president's characterization. Of 16 Tomahawk missiles launched, four failed to detonate. The unexploded warheads were recovered from random locations, including an onion field and a forest.

The Post noted uncertainty about the cause of the failures: "It is unclear why the four Tomahawks didn't detonate. Experts suggested a few possibilities, including mechanical failures or a decision by commanders to crash them because conditions at the target sites may have changed."

More than three weeks after the strikes, questions persist about the overall effectiveness of the operation.

Nigerian and Western analysts assessed the operation's impact skeptically. "Given the location, it was unlikely that the strikes hit high-level members of the Islamic State, who are most active in the northeast of the country," the report stated.

A U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) official acknowledged the mission's limited effectiveness, admitting the assault was "likely not very effective and did not remove any camps or capabilities."

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