Trump says the U.S. carried out multiple deadly strikes against Islamic State targets in Nigeria

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that U.S. forces had carried out lethal strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria, warning that further attacks would follow if the group continued killing Christians.

Without disclosing operational details, Trump said that the “Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes” on Christmas Day targeting IS positions.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had previously warned the militants to halt what he described as the slaughter of Christians, adding that “there would be hell to pay — and tonight, there was.”

“May God bless our Military,” he wrote, adding provocatively: “Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists — and there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”

U.S. Africa Command later said on X that the strike was conducted “at the request of Nigerian authorities” and resulted in the deaths of multiple ISIS fighters.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth also posted on X, praising the department’s readiness to act in Nigeria and saying he was “grateful for Nigerian government support and cooperation.”

The operation marks the first U.S. military strike in Nigeria under Trump’s presidency. It follows his unexpected criticism of the West African country in October and November, when he said Christians there faced an “existential threat” amounting to “genocide” amid the country’s complex security crises.

While some welcomed Trump’s diplomatic push, others warned it could inflame religious tensions in Africa’s most populous nation, which has a history of sectarian violence.

Nigeria’s government and independent analysts have rejected framing the violence primarily as religious persecution — a narrative long promoted by segments of the Christian right in the United States and Europe.