Nigeria, Dec. 27 -- United States President Donald Trump has said the US military carried out air strikes against fighters of the Islamic State (IS) group in north-western Nigeria, an operation Nigerian authorities later confirmed.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform late on Thursday, December 25, Trump said the United States had launched what he described as a "powerful and deadly strike" against IS fighters operating in the region.

"Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist scum in Northwest Nigeria," Trump wrote. He accused the group of "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians".

The US military's Africa Command...