American Warns of Additional Nigeria Military Actions as Abuja Speaks of 'Collaborative Ongoing Operations'.
The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has signaled additional airstrikes against ISIS positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows hours after American forces took action against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these actions as part of a mission to stop the killing of Christians.
“The president was clear previously: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
The Nigerian Foreign Minister Frames Actions as Joint Operation
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint continuing operations.” This comment followed after Trump had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed.
Nigeria is constitutionally a non-religious state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.
Intelligence and Collaboration Preceding the Missions
Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his American opposite number, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then spoke 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 partner with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the death of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been carried out in concert with Nigerian authorities.
Context of Conflict 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 IS branch originated when pastoralists joined together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.
Conflicts between pastoralists and predominantly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by communal and sectarian factors, but their roots lie in competition for resources.
- Clergy and religious leaders have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination.
- A Christmas Eve attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate insurgency mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west.
Continuing Unrest and Data
There have been numerous events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them targeting civilians, according to conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the hardest-hit regions.
Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and civilians,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”
Broader U.S. Foreign Policy
This action occurs amid a wider pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this presidency has seen strikes in several countries and a major deployment of forces in another region.
Neither the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any casualties in the recent airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”
