US Warns of Further Nigerian Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Continuing Operations'.
The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has warned of further military actions against ISIS targets in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against militant camps. The former president Donald Trump has described these efforts as part of a mission to stop the killing of Christians.
“The president was explicit last month: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria must end,” the defense secretary wrote on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is constantly prepared, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
The Nigerian Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Collaborative Effort
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint continuing operations.” This comment came after Trump had previously accused 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. Violence against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.
Intelligence and Coordination Behind the Missions
Nigeria supplied the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had consulted with his U.S. counterpart, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently conferred with the American official again.
“We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to work with the Americans, to work with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Context of Violence in North-West Nigeria
Forests in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some analysts say this affiliate originated when herders banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.
Clashes between pastoralists and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in disputes for resources.
- Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination.
- A December 24th attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west.
Continuing Violence and Statistics
There have been numerous incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them targeting civilians, according to conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions.
Tuggar emphasized that the mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.”
Broader U.S. Military Policy
This action comes amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the initial period of this term has seen military actions in several countries and a major deployment of forces in another region.
Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When questioned if additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”
