Intelligence indicated the two Islamic State-linked camps in the Bauni forest of Sokoto State were being used by foreign ISIS elements working with local affiliates to plan large-scale attacks inside Nigeria.

Participating in the strikes raises the risk that the government will be perceived as endorsing the Trump's language on wider sectarian strife, a sensitive issue throughout Nigeria’s history.

President Trump has previously accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians from jihadists.

The bombing is the latest in a series of attacks in Nigeria's troubled northern region, where the country is battling multiple armed groups.

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