Soldiers cordon off the area where one strike hit a field near a village in Sokoto state, Nigeria.
The US on Thursday launched a strike against militants linked to the Islamic State Group in northwestern Nigeria where militants have sought to establish a foothold.
The US military said camps run by the group in Sokota state, which lies on Nigeria's border with Niger, were hit, adding that an initial assessment suggested multiple fatalities.
US President Donald Trump said the Christmas Day strike was powerful and "deadly", and labelled the group "terrorist scum", saying it had been "targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians".
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the BBC that it was a joint operation and had nothing to do with
a particular religion.
Mr. Tuggar said the strike had been planned for quite some time and had used intelligence information provided by Nigeria. He also did not rule out further action.
The operation comes after Mr. Trump 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.
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