US Issues Warning of Additional Nigeria Strikes as Abuja Speaks of 'Collaborative Continuing Operations'.
The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has warned of further strikes against ISIS strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This comes a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a campaign to end the slaughter of Christians.
“The president was explicit last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” Hegseth stated on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
Nigeria's Top Diplomat Describes Strikes as Joint Effort
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This statement came after the former U.S. leader had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of failing 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 religious groups in the United States, who frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.
Information and Coordination Behind the Missions
Nigeria provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and then conferred with the American official again.
“We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner with the Americans, to work with other countries, to fight terrorism, to end the killing of blameless Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in concert with Nigerian authorities.
Context of Conflict in Northwestern 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 IS branch started when pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.
Conflicts between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in competition for land and water.
- Priests and pastors have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination.
- A Christmas Eve suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a distinct conflict mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west.
Ongoing Unrest and Statistics
There have been numerous events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them affecting 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 “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”
Wider American Foreign Posture
This action occurs amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this term has seen strikes in several countries and a significant deployment of forces in another region.
No official from the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the recent airstrikes. When asked 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 ongoing.”
