President Donald Trump stated that he launched a "powerful and deadly attack" against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after weeks of denouncing the extremist group for targeting Christians.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Government and Armed Forces confirmed on Friday that they conducted joint airstrikes with the US.
According to the Pentagon, the attacks required the launch of a dozen Tomahawk missiles from a US Navy ship deployed in the Gulf of Guinea, resulting in "multiple" casualties in the state of Sokoto, near the border with Niger, as reported by EFE.
The president's statement did not include details on how the attack was carried out or its effects. Trump simply stated, "Tonight, under my command as commander in chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly attack against the terrorist scum of IS in northwest Nigeria, who have been ruthlessly attacking and killing mainly innocent Christians at levels unseen in many years, even centuries!" the president posted on his social media.
"The Nigerian Armed Forces, in collaboration with the United States of America, have successfully carried out precision attack operations against identified foreign elements linked to IS operating in areas of northwest Nigeria," stated the spokesperson for the Nigerian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Samaila Uba.
"The attacks were based on credible information and careful operational planning, aimed at weakening the operational capacity of the terrorists while minimizing collateral damage," Uba explained in a statement.
In another statement, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Nigerian authorities maintain "structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States, to address the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism."
"This has led to precision airstrikes against terrorist targets in northwest Nigeria," Foreign Affairs emphasized, adding that "this cooperation includes intelligence sharing, strategic coordination, and other forms of support in accordance with international law, mutual respect for sovereignty, and shared commitments to regional and global security."
Last month, Trump stated that he instructed the Pentagon to plan for possible military action in Nigeria following reports of Christian persecution. The State Department recently announced visa restrictions for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians in the African country, as reported by AP.
The United States recently designated Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act. "I previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop massacring Christians, there would be a price to pay, and tonight, there was," Trump wrote in his Christmas Day post. He mentioned that defense officials had "executed numerous flawless attacks, as only the United States is capable of doing." "Our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to thrive," he added.