President Trump announced the operation on Thursday, describing it as a decisive response to continued attacks linked to the terror group. According to him, the strikes were carried out on Christmas Day and were aimed at curbing violence against Christians in the country.

“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“May God Bless our Military,” he added, saying, “MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”

The US Department of Defense confirmed the operation, stating that “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed. While it did not disclose the exact location or scale of the attack, it said the strike was conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities.

The US Africa Command also acknowledged the mission in a post on X, noting that it carried out a strike in Sokoto State that resulted in the deaths of several ISIS operatives.

US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, praised the collaboration between both countries, saying he was “grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation,” and reaffirmed Washington’s readiness to act against terrorist threats in the region.

The strike marks the first known US military action inside Nigeria under Trump’s current administration. It follows months of strong rhetoric from the US president, who had earlier accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians, warning that the situation posed an “existential threat” and amounted to “genocide.”

Those remarks, made in October and November, generated mixed reactions. While some groups welcomed Washington’s attention, others warned that framing Nigeria’s insecurity as purely religious risked deepening sectarian divisions in Africa’s most populous nation.

Nigeria’s government and several security analysts have consistently rejected the narrative that violence in the country is driven mainly by religious persecution, arguing instead that terrorism, banditry, and criminal insurgency affect communities across religious lines.

Despite this, Trump has continued to spotlight what his administration describes as the global persecution of Christians, maintaining that the US is prepared to take military action when necessary.

Earlier this year, the United States returned Nigeria to its list of countries of “particular concern” over religious freedom and imposed visa restrictions on some Nigerian citizens.

The latest strike underscores growing US involvement in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts, even as debates continue over the nature, causes, and framing of the country’s security challenges.