WASHINGTON/ABUJA — The United ‍States ‍has carried out a "deadly and powerful" air strike against the Islamic State fighters in northwest Nigeria, ⁠President Donald Trump has ​said.

“Tonight, ⁠at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and ​deadly strike ‌against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria,” ‌Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday evening.

The US leader described ISIS as " terrorist scum", accusing the group of "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians".

“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 said.

The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM), which is responsible for operations in Africa, said in a post on X that the air strike was carried out “at the request of Nigerian authorities” and had killed “multiple ISIS terrorists”.

In a statement, AFRICOM said the strike occurred in “Soboto state,” an apparent reference to Nigeria’s Sokoto State.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC it was a "joint operation" targeting "terrorists", and it "has nothing to do with a particular religion".

Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, saying this depended on "decisions to be taken by the leadership of the two countries".

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement shortly after Trump announced the US strike, confirming early on Friday that Nigerian authorities were “engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism”.

“This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the Northwest,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday he was "grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation".

"Merry Christmas!" he added, writing on X.

The US Department of Defense later posted an unclassified short video that appeared to show a missile being launched from a military vessel.

The US military action comes weeks after Trump said he had ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following claims of Christian persecution in the country.

Groups monitoring violence say there is no evidence to suggest that Christians are being killed more than Muslims in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s government had also dismissed Trump’s assertions, saying armed groups target both Muslim and Christian communities in the country, and US claims that Christians face persecution ‌do not represent a complex security situation and ignore efforts by Nigerian authorities to safeguard religious freedom.

An adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu told the BBC at the time that any military action against the jihadist groups should be carried out together.

Daniel Bwala said Nigeria would welcome US help in tackling the Islamist insurgents but noted that it was a "sovereign" country.

President Tinubu has insisted there is religious tolerance in the country and said the security challenges were affecting people "across faiths and regions".

Trump earlier announced that he had declared Nigeria a "Country of Particular Concern" because of the "existential threat" posed to its Christian population. He said "thousands" had been killed, without providing any evidence.

Pictures are circulating on social media of missile fragments following a strike outside a village in Sokoto State that did not cause casualties.

“To look at the issue of alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria, Sokoto State is probably the last place many Nigerians would think it’s happening,” Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Lagos in Nigeria, said. He said the vast majority of the state’s population is Muslim and there had been few if any attacks on Christians in the region that he could recall.

Trump issued his attack statement on Christmas Day while he was at ‌his Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago Club, where he has been spending the holiday. — Agencies