NIGERIA (AFP) — The northern Nigerian state where the United States staged Christmas Day air strikes targeting Islamist militants is preparing for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and trying to banish thoughts of the violence that has plagued the region.

Sokoto state is home to Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the spiritual head of Muslims in Nigeria, who typically announces the start of Ramadan in the west African country, during which Muslims fast for 29 to 30 days.

Largely spared insurgency and banditry, unlike other states, Muslim-majority Sokoto was the site of surprise US air strikes on 25 December, which Nigerian authorities said targeted “two major Islamic State (IS) terrorist enclaves” in the state’s Tangaza district.

The Abu Hurairah central mosque in the state capital was packed on Friday when Agence France-Presse (AFP) visited. Hundreds of people, including children, defied the sweltering heat to attend prayers.

With Ramadan so close, the imam emphasized brotherhood, charity and togetherness.

Several worshippers told AFP they were shocked by the US strikes, just 75 kilometers away. But they are clutching to cautious optimism that the holy month would mark the beginning of enduring peace.

“It is a new thing in this part of the country, having air strikes or bomb explosions. It only happened once, when (fellow Islamist militant group) Boko Haram was at its peak,” Ahmad Mustapha, a 37-year-old doctor, told AFP after Friday prayers.

“People are praying vehemently that the insurgency comes to an end.”