American Issues Warning of More Nigeria Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Joint Continuing Operations'.
The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has signaled new strikes against Islamic State positions in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after American forces launched strikes against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these efforts as part of a campaign to halt the slaughter of Christians.
“The commander-in-chief was clear previously: the killing of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth posted on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Actions as Joint Operation
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This comment came after Trump had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to stop Christians from being killed.
Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have noted that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.
Intelligence and Coordination Preceding the Missions
Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then conferred with the American official again.
“We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar said. “This is what we’ve always been hoping for, to work with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africom said the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in concert with local officials.
Background of Violence in North-West Nigeria
Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this affiliate originated when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.
Conflicts between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in competition for land and water.
- Clergy and pastors have been increasingly taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by financial motives than religious discrimination.
- A Christmas Eve suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a separate insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west.
Continuing Violence and Statistics
There have been numerous events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them affecting civilians, according to conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the hardest-hit regions.
Tuggar stressed that the mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”
Wider U.S. Foreign Posture
This intervention occurs amid a broader pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the first year of this presidency has seen military actions in several countries and a significant deployment of forces in another region.
Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the recent airstrikes. When questioned if additional actions would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”
