Trump said the United States launched Christmas night airstrikes in Nigeria targeting ISIS militants he accused of killing Christians in recent attacks.

The Nigerian government has confirmed its involvement in joint security operations with the United States after President Donald Trump announced a "deadly" strike against ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria.

President Tinubu tells Nigerians ongoing security reforms, community policing plans and foreign support will strengthen efforts to tackle insecurity nationwide.

Nigeria confirmed it shared intelligence with the U.S. ahead of Christmas night airstrikes against ISIS targets accused of killing Christians.

President Bola Tinubu nominated Nigeria's former top general to replace the defence minister, who resigned amid a surge in mass kidnappings and Islamist attacks in the north that has led the president to declare a security emergency.

President Donald Trump called the US bombing of Nigeria a “Christmas present” for ISIS militants on Friday. Calling in to discuss the bombing with WABC’s John Catsimatidis, the president said that launching the attack on Christmas Day was an intentional choice.

President Trump said the targets of airstrikes in Nigeria were Islamic State terrorists responsible for killing Christians, but experts question his framing.

Trump also wishes ‘merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists’, after strikes. Key US politics stories from Thursday 25 December

By publicly cooperating with the United States ‌on ​Christmas Day airstrikes, Nigeria's government may have ‌averted humiliating unilateral military action threatened a month ago by President Donald Trump.