British News Agency

In his post, Trump wrote: “I had previously warned these terrorists that they would pay a heavy price if they did not stop slaughtering Christians, and tonight they paid it. God bless our military. MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone, including the dead terrorists. If the killing of Christians continues, more will die.”

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the strikes, saying they were precision attacks targeting terrorist objectives. US Africa Command said that “several ISIS terrorists” were killed in Sokoto State and noted that the strikes were carried out at the request of the Nigerian government.

This marks the first US attack in Nigeria during Trump’s presidency. In October and November, Trump sharply criticized the Nigerian government over the killing of Nigerian Christians and likened the situation to genocide.

The Nigerian government rejects claims that the terrorist threat is directed specifically at Christians, stating that Muslims and followers of other religions are also regularly targeted. Most recently, at least seven people were killed in a bomb attack at a mosque in the city of Maiduguri on Wednesday.