The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has confirmed that airstrikes authorized by President Donald Trump were carried out in Nigeria’s Sokoto State, in coordination with Nigerian authorities, resulting in the deaths of several ISIS militants.

According to AFRICOM, the operation focused on known ISIS camps within the region. A US defence official said the mission specifically targeted terrorist strongholds, and footage released by the Pentagon showed at least one projectile launched from a US warship during the operation.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the strike, describing it as part of ongoing security collaboration between Nigeria and the United States.

The ministry stated that intelligence sharing and strategic coordination between both countries led to “precision hits on terrorist targets” in Nigeria’s northwest.

The operation follows warnings issued by Trump in late October, when he claimed that Christianity faced an “existential threat” in Nigeria and suggested that the United States could intervene militarily if the violence persisted. Reports had also indicated that US intelligence-gathering flights had been conducted across large parts of Nigeria since late November.

Nigeria’s government has rejected assertions that Christians are being uniquely targeted, emphasizing that armed groups have attacked both Muslims and Christians and that the country’s security challenges are multifaceted. Nevertheless, the government has agreed to deepen cooperation with Washington to strengthen efforts against militant groups.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged Nigeria’s support in a post on X, thanking the government for its cooperation and noting that further actions could follow.

The strike comes amid continued security challenges across Nigeria. On Wednesday night, police reported that a suspected suicide bomber killed at least five people and injured 35 others at a mosque in the country’s northeast — another region grappling with Islamist insurgency.

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he ordered a lethal military strike against Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists operating in Nigeria, accusing the group of targeting and killing Christians.

In a social media post, Trump said he authorized a “powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria,” alleging that the group had been responsible for the deaths of innocent Christians.

According to the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), the strikes were carried out in Sokoto State, which lies along Nigeria’s northern border with Niger. The operation was conducted “in coordination with Nigerian authorities,” AFRICOM said, adding that its initial assessment indicated that “multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps.”

In a separate statement posted on X on Thursday which was later deleted, AFRICOM stated that the operation was conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities. CNN has contacted both AFRICOM and the White House for further clarification.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also commented on the operation, saying he was “grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation.”

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed collaboration with the United States on airstrikes targeting terrorist locations. The ministry reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to protecting the rights of all citizens, “irrespective of faith or ethnicity.”

Daniel Bwala, a special adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, told CNN: “The US and Nigeria are on the same page in the fight against terrorism.”

Trump, who is spending the Christmas holiday at his Palm Beach estate, reinforced his stance in a Truth Social post Thursday evening.

“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 wrote. “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.”

He added:

“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”

For several months, Trump has emphasized the situation of Christians in Nigeria. In November, he called on his secretary of defense to “prepare for possible action” and warned that the US would enter Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” if necessary to protect Christian communities in Africa’s most populous nation.

Security analysts believe the strikes may have targeted Lakurawa, a lesser-known extremist group active in Nigeria’s northwestern region. Reuters reports that Lakurawa has grown increasingly violent this year, frequently attacking remote villages and security forces while operating from forested areas between states.

On Christmas Eve, President Tinubu issued a “Christmas Goodwill Message,” extending holiday wishes to Christians in Nigeria and around the world, and calling for unity and peace among people of different religious beliefs.

“I stand committed to doing everything within my power to enshrine religious freedom in Nigeria and to protect Christians, Muslims, and all Nigerians from violence,” Tinubu said in a post on X.

Nigeria has faced persistent security challenges for years, driven by a mix of religious extremism, communal and ethnic conflicts, and disputes between farmers and herders over scarce natural resources.

Earlier this year, Trump accused Nigeria of violating religious freedom, stating that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria.” He designated the country a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act, a classification used when a government is found to have tolerated or engaged in “systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom.”

Analysts note that both Christians and Muslims, the country’s two largest religious groups within its population of over 230 million have been victims of attacks by radical Islamist groups.

Concerns over the safety of Nigerian Christians have long resonated with American conservatives. Several of Trump’s allies, including Senator Ted Cruz, have recently urged US intervention, arguing that Nigeria’s government has not done enough to prevent attacks.

Although Trump has often described himself as a peacemaker and pledged to reduce US military involvement abroad, he has since authorized strikes on Iran’s nuclear program and overseen a significant military buildup near Venezuela, alongside threats of possible ground action.

A newly released set of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, made public on Tuesday, contains several references to President Donald Trump, including records of flights he allegedly took on his former associate’s private jet, alongside other claims the Justice Department has described as “untrue and sensationalist.”

The release features previously undisclosed materials from investigations into Epstein, a wealthy American financier who died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking underage girls.

An earlier batch of heavily redacted files published last Friday had drawn criticism, with accusations that the Justice Department was deliberately delaying full disclosure and omitting references to Trump.

In contrast, Trump appears frequently in the thousands of documents released on Tuesday, although many of the mentions stem from media reports rather than direct evidence.

In response, the Justice Department quickly issued a statement defending the 79-year-old Republican president.

“Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the department said on X, without identifying which allegations it considered false.

Trump, who has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing, had previously sought for months to block the release of the extensive cache of Epstein-related documents, noting that Epstein was already a convicted sex offender when the more serious trafficking investigation began.

Pressure from within Trump’s own Republican Party eventually compelled him to approve legislation requiring the full release of the files.

That decision reflected mounting political pressure to confront what many Americans — including Trump supporters — have long believed was a cover-up designed to shield wealthy and influential individuals linked to Epstein.

Private jet trips

On Monday, Trump said he did not support the document releases, warning that individuals who had “innocently met” Epstein over the years could suffer reputational damage.

“Everybody was friendly with this guy,” he said.

He offered no immediate response to Tuesday’s release, instead posting on Truth Social about economic matters and other unrelated issues.

Trump maintained a friendship with Epstein for several years and has provided varying explanations for how their relationship ended.

He has claimed they fell out after Epstein “stole” young women employed at the spa of his Florida golf club, and has also said he expelled Epstein from the club for being “a creep.”

However, the newly released documents appear to strengthen evidence of Trump’s close association with Epstein, contradicting some of his earlier claims.

Among the records is a January 2020 note from New York federal prosecutors investigating Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, which details Trump’s repeated travel aboard Epstein’s private jet.

“Records we received yesterday reflect that Donald Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware),” the note states.

One reported flight allegedly carried only three passengers — Epstein, Trump and an unidentified 20-year-old woman.

Delays

Some of the references involving Trump — who has never been charged with any crime related to Epstein — cannot be independently verified.

One such reference appears in a handwritten letter purportedly written by Epstein from jail to Larry Nassar, the former US gymnastics doctor imprisoned for widespread abuse of female athletes.

In the letter, Epstein is shown complaining to Nassar about their imprisonment while claiming that the “president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to ‘grab snatch.’”

Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the files contain an email revealing that the Justice Department had investigated “at least” ten possible Epstein co-conspirators.

“The Department of Justice needs to shed more light on who was on the list, how they were involved, and why they chose not to prosecute,” Schumer said.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers who co-sponsored the legislation mandating the document release — Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie — warned over the weekend that they could pursue contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to release all the materials by the previous Friday’s deadline.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche attributed the delay to the need to redact identifying details of more than 1,000 Epstein victims contained in the records.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only individual convicted in connection with his crimes.