Two late December incidents in Nigeria involved separate forms of violence. A suicide bombing at a mosque in Maiduguri killed several civilians, while U.S. forces carried out coordinated airstrikes against ISIS linked camps in Sokoto State.

Facing a growing terror threat in the Sahel, the Trump administration could discover that its avoidance of “long-term American presence or commitments” in Africa is impracticable.

“The United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

President Trump said "numerous perfect strikes" had hit Islamic State militants in the West African nation of Nigeria.

The United States airstrikes targeting militants affiliated with the Islamic State group in northwestern Nigeria are a major escalation of an offensive that Nigeria’s overstretched military has struggled with for years.