Nigeria confirmed it shared intelligence with the U.S. ahead of Christmas night airstrikes against ISIS targets accused of killing Christians.

The US president accuses the group of killing Christians, as Nigeria’s foreign minister tells the BBC the strikes were a "joint operation" and "nothing to do" with religion.

Nigeria have played at AFCON 20 times, finishing winners on three occasions – most recently lifting the trophy in 2013 – and runners-up five times. Remarkably, they have finished in the top three in 13 of their last 15 AFCON appearances.

The bombing is the latest in a series of attacks in Nigeria's troubled northern region, where the country is battling multiple armed groups.

An explosion tore through a mosque during evening prayers on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state, a Reuters witness said. There was no immediate word on casualties or official comment.