The U.S. military carried out strikes on alleged terrorists in northwest Nigeria on Thursday in retaliation for attacks on Christians by Islamists.

President Trump says the U.S. launched "powerful and deadly" strikes against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country's government of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.

A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the villagers of Jabo in northwest Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.

While Trump has said he acted to protect Christians, analysts report that violence, particularly by Islamist militants, has targeted both Christians and Muslims.