The United States launched an airstrike against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria following a request from the Nigerian government, according to President Donald Trump and the US military on Thursday, December 25. US officials said the militant group had been carrying out attacks on Christian communities in the area.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the operation was conducted on his orders and described it as a major strike against ISIS fighters who he said had been brutally killing innocent Christians in the region. US Africa Command confirmed that the strike took place in Sokoto State, in coordination with Nigerian authorities, and resulted in the deaths of several ISIS militants.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, told the BBC that the mission was a joint counterterrorism effort aimed at extremist groups and emphasized that it was not related to any specific religion. He said the operation had been in preparation for some time and was based on intelligence provided by Nigeria. Tuggar added that additional strikes could occur, depending on future decisions by the leadership of both nations.

The strike followed earlier comments from Trump in late October, when he warned that Christianity in Nigeria was under severe threat and suggested possible US military action over Nigeria’s failure to stop violence against Christian communities. Separately, Reuters reported earlier this week that the US has been conducting surveillance flights across large areas of Nigeria since late November.