President Donald Trump said the U.S. launched airstrikes in northwest Nigeria on Christmas night targeting ISIS militants he accused of killing Christians, calling the operation decisive and warning further attacks would follow if the violence continues.

"Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, 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 Thursday on Truth Social. 

"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. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.

"Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper," he continued. "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."

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the attacks in a post on X on Thursday night.

"At the direction of the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, and in coordination with Nigerian authorities, U.S. Africa Command conducted strikes against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria on Dec. 25, 2025, in Sokoto State," the post read.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz also weighed in after learning about the strikes on ISIS forces in Nigeria.

"Merry Christmas to the Christians in Nigeria and around the world who know tonight that the President of the United States will fight for them," he said in a post on X.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Thursday, "I commend President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and our brave troops for these strikes against bloodthirsty ISIS savages who are not only persecuting Christians, but also have killed many Americans."

Last month, Trump threatened to "do things in Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about" and "go into that now disgraced country guns-a-blazing."

That warning set the stage for the Christmas-night strikes, which Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said fulfilled the president’s demand that the killings stop.

"The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end," Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on X. "TheNiger State, abducting more than 300 students and staff. School officials said 50 students aged 10 to 18 escaped in the following days, but 253 students and 12 teachers remain captive.

The violence prompted Trump to designate Nigeria a "country of particular concern," though the Nigerian government disputes the U.S. assessment.

"I’m really angry about it," the president told Fox News Radio last month. "What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace."

Echoing Trump’s warning, Rubio said earlier this month, "As President Trump made clear, the ‘United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries.’"

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.