On Thursday, the Pentagon of the United States made public a video depicting targeted air attacks on ISIS fighters in northeast Nigeria. The missile shooting from a naval ship is included in the video, which indicates the first use of force by the US army in Nigeria during the presidency of Donald Trump.

In a statement on Truth Social, President Trump described the operation as a “powerful and deadly strike” carried out “at my direction as Commander in Chief.” He said the strikes targeted ISIS fighters who have been “viciously attacking, primarily, innocent Christians” at unprecedented levels. Trump praised the Department of Defense for executing “numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.”

Trump reiterated that his administration would not allow “radical Islamic terrorism to prosper” and concluded his post with a Christmas message: “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.”

This military action follows months of Trump highlighting the plight of Christians in Nigeria. In November, he urged the US Secretary of Defense to “prepare for possible action,” warning that the US could intervene to protect the Christian population in Africa’s most populous country.

The responses to the strikes were varied. Some people praised the clear-cut measure against ISIS, while others warned that talking about Nigeria’s violence only in terms of religion might aggravate a country that has experienced many sectarian conflicts in the past.

The Nigerian Foreign Ministry acknowledged the strikes and underlined the continuing cooperation with world partners, especially the US, to fight against terror and brutal ideologies. “This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by airstrikes,” the ministry stated, adding that the government continues structured security cooperation to address persistent threats.