The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday (December 25), claiming the group had been targeting Christians in the region.

The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the strike was carried out in Sokoto state in coordination with Nigerian authorities and killed multiple ISIS militants. The strike comes after Trump in late October began warning that Christianity faces an "existential threat" in Nigeria and threatened to militarily intervene in the West African country over what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities.

Nigeria’s foreign ministry said the strike was carried out as part of ongoing security cooperation with the United States, involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to target militant groups.

Nigeria's government has said armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, and U.S. claims that Christians face persecution do not represent the complex security situation and ignore efforts to safeguard religious freedom. But it has agreed to work with the U.S. to bolster its forces against militant groups. The country's population is split between Muslims living primarily in the north and Christians in the south.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

LAGOS, NIGERIA (DECEMBER 25, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All)

1. PEOPLE TALKING AT A NEWSPAPER STAND / NEWSPAPER VENDOR FLIPPING NEWSPAPER

2. VARIOUS OF MAN FLIPPING THROUGH THE NATION NEWSPAPER WITH HEADLINE READING: (English) “NIGERIA, US HIT TERRORISTS IN NORTHWEST’’

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHEF, DAMILARE BELLO, SAYING:

"The rumor and this issue of coming of American is been lingering for a while now so coming to Nigeria to do that is just to set a pace for Nigeria also that set, put your leg in, we don't need to be fighting for we go to Burkina Faso and go to other places and the fighting while our own house is on fire it doesn't make any sense"

4. VARIOUS OF MAN CYCLING AND PEOPLE WALKING PAST ON STREET

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BUSINESSMAN, NWOYE BASIL, SAYING:

"In the curse of trying to fight the terrorist innocent lives could be lost. Lives could be lost in the course of fight as that has happened in the past.''

6. EXTERIOR OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ASSUMPTION / BUS DRIVING PAST

7. PEOPLE WALKING PAST ON STREET

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BUSINESSMAN, SIMEON GODWIN, SAYING:

"If they are intruding without permission, they are intruding by force, so they are not justified. Every country has the liberty of making their own decision."

9. PEOPLE WALKING PAST ON STREET