WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump revealed that the United States had carried out a forceful military strike against Islamic State forces in Nigeria. This move comes after Trump had repeatedly criticized the Nigerian government for not adequately addressing the persecution of Christians in the region.

“Tonight, under my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria. These terrorists have been targeting and brutally killing, primarily innocent Christians, at levels unprecedented in recent memory!” Trump shared on his social media platform.

Details regarding the execution and impact of the strike were not included in his post. However, the U.S. Africa Command later confirmed on social media platform X that it had conducted the operation at the request of Nigerian authorities in Soboto State, resulting in the deaths of multiple ISIS terrorists.

“Lethal strikes against ISIS demonstrate the strength of our military and our commitment to eliminating terrorist threats against Americans at home and abroad,” the U.S. Africa Command stated in its post.

The Defense Department did not immediately answer requests for comment.

In response to Trump’s previous criticisms, Nigeria’s government says that people of many faiths, not just Christians, have suffered attacks at the hands of extremists groups.

Still, last month, Trump said he’d ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following the claims of Christian persecution. The State Department has also announced it would restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians in the West African country.

And the U.S. recently designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.

“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 in his Christmas night post.

He said that U.S. defense officials had “executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing” and added that “our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”

Nigeria’s population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced insecurity from various fronts including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.

But attacks in Nigeria often have varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes.

The U.S. security footprint has diminished in Africa, where military partnerships have either been scaled down or canceled. U.S. forces likely would have to be drawn from other parts of the world for any military intervention in Nigeria.

Trump has nonetheless kept up the pressure as Nigeria faced a series of attacks on schools and churches in violence that experts and residents say targets both Christians and Muslims.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted Thursday night on X: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end.”

Hegseth said that U.S. military forces are “always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas” and added, “More to come…Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation” before signing off, “Merry Christmas!”

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