On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced via his social media platform that he had ordered a “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria. According to Trump, these terrorists have been predominantly targeting and brutally killing innocent Christians.

This announcement follows a video Trump shared in early November, where he threatened military intervention in Nigeria, declaring he would go in “guns-a-blazing.” Around the same time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth backed Trump’s stance, stating on X (formerly Twitter) that the Department of Defense was gearing up for action.

In his social media post, Trump emphasized, “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.”

The specifics regarding the strike’s outcome or its precise targets remain unclear. ABC News has reached out to the White House seeking further details.

Hegseth, in another post on X, hinted at additional actions to come and expressed gratitude to the Nigerian government for its support and cooperation.

He reiterated the President’s stance from the previous month, emphasizing that the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere must come to an end.

“The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas.”

Hegseth ended his post with, “Merry Christmas!”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.