President Donald Trump ordered Christmas airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria, targeting ISIS terrorists near the Niger border after attacks on Christians.

Two late December incidents in Nigeria involved separate forms of violence. A suicide bombing at a mosque in Maiduguri killed several civilians, while U.S. forces carried out coordinated airstrikes against ISIS linked camps in Sokoto State.

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.