INTERNACIONAL
After Trump strikes Islamist terrorists, US general travels to Nigeria with militants ‘on the run’
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FIRST ON FOX: In Nigeria, Fox News Digital has been told terrorists are ‘on the run’ following U.S. strikes last month aimed at stopping the killing of Christians in Africa’s most populous country, this as a senior official from U.S. Africa Command visited Nigeria this week.
According to the recently released persecution watchdog Open Doors World Watch List, three out of every four Christians killed for their religion worldwide have been murdered in Nigeria. It is said to average out that one Christian is killed there every two and a half hours.
Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump confirmed, «In Nigeria we’re annihilating terrorists who are killing Christians. We’ve hit them very hard. They’ve killed thousands and thousands of Christians.»
CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN SYSTEMATIC KIDNAPPING CAMPAIGN IN NIGERIA BY JIHADI HERDSMEN, EXPERTS SAY
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, deputy commander, U.S. Africa Command, arriving in Nigeria this week for talks with the Nigerians on advancing coordinated efforts to improve security conditions and protect vulnerable communities across Nigeria. (U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)
This past week, the second-highest-ranking officer at U.S. Africa Command, a former U.S. Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. John Brennan, U.S. Army, was as a key member of a U.S. delegation to Nigeria. Speaking exclusively to Fox News Digital from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, Brennan detailed U.S. moves on the ground to combat Islamic State and other jihadi terror groups.
Brennan gave Fox News Digital insight into the U.S. military’s role now in Nigeria: «We are continuing to provide them (the Nigerians) intelligence support, airborne ISR, (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), things that will make them more accurate. And they had some success in Sokoto post-strike because of the activity that the strike generated across the network.»
The general continued, «A lot of terrorists decided to flee the area, and it allowed the Nigerians the opportunity to arrest them.» But he added, «We’re all about enabling Nigerians to solve Nigerian problems. We want to ensure that they remain a security anchor for all of West Africa and they do too. And so it’s in our mutual interest that we work together.»
«They have a terrorist problem, Brennan said. «So we’re trying to help create effects that will stop them and their borders from getting incurred by terrorist organizations,» he concluded.
US LAUNCHES WAVE OF STRIKES IN SOMALIA TARGETING ISIS, AL-SHABAB TERROR THREATS
«I definitely have a good reason to believe that the target was hit,» Illia Djadi, persecution analyst for sub-Saharan Africa at Open Doors, told Fox News Digital. He added, «and (when) I say target, I mean these armed men, people or groups, their camps have been hit, and eventually afflicting damage to them. They are on the run now. Fleeing in different directions. Some sources say some have fled, maybe to neighboring Niger and others south and in different locations across Nigeria.»
Djadi continued, «All these years, they have been acting and attacking with relative total impunity. But this has changed now. They are scared now. They are hit, and they realize they can be hit again. So this is the symbolism.»
Funerals for some 27 Christians who were reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in the village of Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria on July, 28, 2025 (Courtesy: Christian Solidarity International (CSI))
He said, «The bombing resonated even beyond Nigeria’s borders,» Djadi added, «even across Nigeria’s neighbors, like Niger, Mali and other countries. People are watching because of what happened, (thinking) if this can happen to Nigeria, it can happen to countries like Mali, Niger or elsewhere. They are watching. They are taking note of that.»
NIGERIA NAMED EPICENTER OF GLOBAL KILLINGS OF CHRISTIANS OVER FAITH IN 2025, REPORT SAYS
On Thursday, in a plenary session with Brennan present, U.S. and Nigerian officials met to discuss cooperation following President Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a country of Particular Concern.
At the meeting, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker told those present, «Today we are here to determine how we can work together to deter violence against Christian communities, prioritizing counterterrorism and insecurity, investigating attacks, holding perpetrators accountable and reducing the number of killings, forced displacements and abductions of Christians.»
The meeting took place in Abuja. Just over 80 miles away, four days earlier, the abduction of Christians continued, with over 160 worshipers kidnapped from three churches in northern Kaduna state, it is believed, during Sunday services.
At least 51 Christians were killed in another attack in Nigeria’s Plateau state. (Reuters)
In an interview with The New York Times earlier this month, President Trump said more strikes could be made against Nigeria, «If they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.»
This week, when asked if further strikes are possible, a U.S. defense official told Fox News Digital, «That’s a question for the White House. But I can tell you our Nigerian partners are asking for more of our help. And so we’re going to give it to them.»
There are some American boots on the ground, but their numbers are not significant, Brennan said, adding, «a lot of assessment (is) going on. So we have a small team that the Nigerians invited in, and we’re working with them to assess their needs, and to create opportunities that we can both capitalize on together.»
ANOTHER CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AT RISK IN AFRICA AS EXTREMISTS AND WAR TAKE THEIR TOLL
Some military equipment is being shipped in from the U.S., Brennan said, but «it’s nothing out of the ordinary. It’s things they (the Nigerians) had already purchased, as far as ammunition, things that make to help them be more accurate in their operations against ISIS, West Africa Province and Boko Haram.»
Rabiu Ibrahim, Nigeria’s special assistant to the minister of information and national orientation, told Fox News Digital, «Nigeria’s primary and unwavering stance is that terrorism, in all its forms, is a global scourge that requires a collective, yet sovereignly respectful, response. The U.S. military actions in our region are viewed through this lens. We acknowledge that any action which genuinely degrades the capability of terrorist groups threatening the stability of the Sahel and our own national security is a tactical component in a much larger strategic picture.»
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, deputy commander, U.S. Africa Command, meets officials upon arriving in Nigeria this week for talks on advancing coordinated efforts to improve security conditions and protect vulnerable communities across Nigeria. (U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)
Ibrahim added, «We have noted, through our own intelligence and battlefield evidence, that such external kinetic actions can disrupt command structures, degrade logistics and create atmospherics of uncertainty among the remnants of groups like ISWAP and Boko Haram.» «Our cooperation with the United States is robust, multifaceted and transcends mere rhetoric,» Ibrahim continued, saying it is focused on key areas, including «capacity building and training: Nigerian units, particularly in intelligence, aviation and special operations, have received advanced training that directly enhances their operational effectiveness in theater.»
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Ibrahim said Nigeria also benefits from the U.S. through intelligence sharing and material and technical support, including night-vision capabilities, claiming «it is not a patron-client relationship, but a partnership where Nigerian leadership on the ground is augmented by specific, requested external support.»
africa,military,terrorism,christianity religion,donald trump
El despliegue militar estadounidense
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Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a disaster emergency over the Potomac sewage spill on Wednesday and requested federal assistance with the cleanup.
The sewage spill has now become the largest in U.S. history, dumping over 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. President Donald Trump has already lashed out at Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for his handling of the spill, saying he is concerned the river winding around the nation’s capital will still stink when America250 celebrations kick off this summer.
Bowser wrote a letter to Trump on Wednesday formally requesting that he issue an emergency disaster declaration, freeing up federal resources to help deal with the spill.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized Trump’s concerns in a press conference on Wednesday. Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Leavitt if Trump is concerned the nation’s capital will «smell like poop.»
TRUMP EPA SLASHES 12 YEARS OFF SEWAGE CLEANUP CRISIS THAT HAS ROCKED CALIFORNIA FOR DECADES
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser called for a federal emergency disaster declaration on Wednesday. (Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images)
«Yeah, he is worried about that,» Leavitt said. «Which is why the federal government wants to fix it. And we hope that the local authorities will cooperate with us in doing so.»
Leavitt called on leaders in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. to «step forward and to ask the federal government for help and to ask for the Stafford Act to be implemented here so that the federal government can go and take control of this local infrastructure that has been abandoned and neglected by Governor Moore in Maryland for far too long.»
«It’s no secret that Maryland’s water and infrastructure have been in dire need of repair,» Leavitt said. «Their infrastructure has received a nearly failing grade in the 2025 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers. This is the same grade they’ve received, five years earlier. There has been no improvement under the leadership of Governor Moore. He’s clearly shown he’s incapable of fixing this problem, which is why President Trump and the federal government are standing by to step in.»
TRUMP SAYS HE COULD SEND THE NATIONAL GUARD TO MARYLAND TO ADDRESS CRIME
Repair work continues on the broken section of the Potomac Interceptor, a six-foot-wide sewage pipe that collapsed on January 19, in between the Clara Barton Parkway and the C&O Canal on Feb. 16, 2026 in Cabin John, Maryland (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Moore’s office has pushed back on the administration’s rhetoric surrounding the leak, claiming the federal government has oversight over DC Water, the District’s water and sewer utility.
«Since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak. For the last four weeks, the Trump Administration has failed to act, shirking its responsibility and putting people’s health at risk,» a representative from Moore’s office said on Monday. «Notably, the president’s own EPA explicitly refused to participate in the major legislative hearing about the cleanup last Friday.»
Leavitt continued Wednesday that environmentalists should «pray» that local jurisdictions call on Trump to step in and shore up infrastructure and carry out clean up.
President Donald Trump is worried the Potomac River will still stink when America250 celebrations kick off this summer following a sewage leak that dumped millions of gallons of raw filth into the river, according to the White House. (Saul Loeb/Getty Images/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)
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«For all of the environmentalists in the room and across the District of Columbia, let’s all hope and pray that this governor does the right thing and ask President Trump to get involved, because it will be an ecological and environmental disaster if the federal government does not step in to help,» she said. «But of course, we need the state and local jurisdictions to make that formal request.»
Read Bowser’s letter to Trump below (App users click here)
washington dc,politics,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Quién es José María Balcázar, el nuevo presidente interino de Perú elegido por el Congreso
Tras las destituciones de Pedro Castillo (2021-2022) y Dina Boluarte (2022-2025), quienes fueron elegidos por votación popular, José María Balcázar fue elegido como nuevo presidente interino del Perú. Su nombramiento se produjo luego de dos votaciones en el Congreso.
Balcázar ganó la segunda elección con 64 votos, un número mayor al que logró acumular María del Carmen Alva, quien sumó 46 y era vista como la favorita. Reemplazará a José Jerí, quien había asumido tras la destitución de Dina Boluarte en octubre pasado y quien fue desplazado de su posición este martes.
Leé también: Crisis en Perú: el Congreso destituyó al presidente interino José Jerí a dos meses de las elecciones José María Balcazar, en un encuentro con medios de comunicación tras haber sido juramentado como presidente interino de Perú. (Foto: REUTERS/Ángela Ponce).
José María Balcázar: su trayectoria, carrera legislativa y escándalos
Balcázar es un abogado, exmagistrado de la Corte Suprema de Justicia y actual congresista por Lambayeque, una región ubicada en la costa norte del país. Tiene 83 años y fue presentado en esta elección por la agrupación Perú Libre, aunque la dejó en 2022. Su salida se produjo junto con otros 9 miembros del bloque luego de una interna.
De acuerdo con distintos medios de comunicación locales, Balcázar es visto como un hombre cercano a Vladimir Cerrón, fundador del partido Perú Libre, que fue condenado por corrupción y en la actualidad está prófugo de la justicia. La carrera parlamentaria del ahora presidente interino comenzó en 2021, como candidato al Congreso por parte del partido mencionado.
Balcázar se graduó como abogado en la Universidad de Trujillo en 1972. En 2005, recibió el grado de Doctor en Derecho y Ciencia Política por la Universidad Pedro Ruiz Gallo. Además de su formación académica, también ejerció la docencia desde 1977. Sin embargo, ha estado relacionado con algunos escándalos. Uno de los más sonados fue su expulsión del Colegio de Abogados de Lambayeque, bajo la sospecha de presunta apropiación de fondos.
Leé también: Tragedia en la Sierra Nevada de California: una avalancha mató a ocho esquiadores
En la actualidad, atraviesa una denuncia constitucional. Esta se basa en la sospecha de estar involucrado en un presunto intercambio de favores con Patricia Benavides, una exfiscal del país. Balcázar es señalado por haber acordado con Benavides votos parlamentarios para que archivara distintos procesos penales en su contra en Lambayeque. Al igual que José Jerí, a quien Balcázar sustituye, la figura del presidente interino en Perú vuelve a estar rodeada de polémica.
Las primeras palabras de José María Balcázar, presidente interino de Perú
Balcázar juró como presidente interino de Perú durante la madrugada de la Argentina. Tras el acto, ofreció un discurso en el que abordó dos de los temas que han estado en la agenda política del Perú en los últimos meses.
El nuevo presidente interino tendrá cinco meses de gestión antes de entregar el poder al próximo presidente electo por votación popular. Ante el Congreso, dijo que asumía “para hacer y reescribir este nuevo Parlamento. Sí es posible construir una nueva democracia, una de verdad. No está funcionando. Si no tiene sus correctivos, va a desaparecer”.
Las dos principales bases de su discurso fueron la transparencia electoral de las próximas elecciones y atender la seguridad. Balcázar dijo que quiere “garantizar que va a haber una transición política y electoral pacífica y transparente” y que aspira a “mantener una pacificación de verdad y que tengamos ministerios aptos para echarle diente a la inseguridad”.
Leé también: Tras exigirle a Irán un acuerdo nuclear, Trump volvió a amenazar con un ataque militar José María Balcazar prometió elecciones transparentes el próximo mes de abril. (Foto: REUTERS/Ángela Ponce).
“En un solo mes podemos hacer muchas cosas. Es solo cuestión de ponerse a trabajar”, dijo Balcázar. Luego, agregó: “No es difícil gobernar a un país. ¿Quién dijo que es difícil? Busquemos a la gente más lúcida, que la tenemos en los partidos políticos, en el Congreso”.
Además de esto, indicó que trabajaría de cerca con el Congreso. “Sin diálogo no hay nada”, dijo. En un encuentro con la prensa, también se refirió de forma breve a la situación económica del país. “La línea macroeconómica del Perú la vamos a mantener. No podemos dar saltos en esa materia”, dijo. En relación con potenciales cambios en el gabinete de ministros, no señaló a ninguno. Aunque señaló que harían una evaluación “para ver quiénes están cumpliendo”.
Perú, presidente, Congreso
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