The silent nights are over, according to President Donald Trump, who announced "a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria" on Christmas night.

"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 wrote at 6 p.m. ET 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 wrote.

"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."

The president's post did not include information about how the strike was carried out and what effects it had, and the White House did not immediately provide further details.

Last month, Trump said he'd ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria following the claims of Christian persecution.

The State Department then announced in recent weeks that it would restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members involved in mass killings and violence against Christians in the West African country.

The U.S. recently designated Nigeria a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act.

The U.S. military's Africa Command said on X the strike was conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities and killed multiple terrorists.

The strike comes after Trump, starting in late October, began warning that Christianity faces an "existential threat" in Nigeria and threatened to militarily intervene in the West African country over what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities.

Reuters reported on Monday that the U.S. had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November.

Nigeria's government has said armed groups target both Muslims and Christians, and U.S. claims that Christians face persecution do not represent a complex security situation and ignore efforts to safeguard religious freedom. But it has agreed to work with the U.S. to bolster its forces against militant groups.

Nigeria's population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims.

The country has long faced insecurity from various fronts including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.

But attacks in Nigeria often have varying motives.

There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups, and ethnic clashes.

The U.S. security footprint has diminished in Africa, where military partnerships have either been scaled down or canceled.

U.S. forces likely would have to be drawn from other parts of the world for any military intervention in Nigeria.

Trump has nonetheless kept up the pressure as Nigeria faced a series of attacks on schools and churches in violence that experts and residents say targets both Christians and Muslims.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted Thursday night on X: "The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end."

Hegseth said that U.S. military forces are "always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas" and added, "More to come…Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation" before signing off, "Merry Christmas!"

The president issued his statement on Christmas Day while he was at his Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago Club, where he has been spending the holiday. He had no public events during the day and was last seen by the reporters traveling with him on Wednesday night.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.