US Warns of Further Nigeria Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Joint Ongoing Operations'.
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has signaled new military actions against IS strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces took action against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has characterized these efforts as part of a mission to halt the slaughter of Christians.
“The president 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. More to come … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
The Nigerian Foreign Minister Describes Strikes as Joint Effort
Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint continuing operations.” This statement came after the former U.S. leader had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed.
Nigeria is officially a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants target both Christians and Muslims.
Information and Coordination Preceding the Airstrikes
Nigerian authorities provided the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He detailed that he had spoken with his American opposite number, before called the Nigerian president for authorization, and then spoke 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 combat terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Background of Conflict 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 observers say this affiliate originated when pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.
Clashes between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in disputes for resources.
- Clergy and religious leaders have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, 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 distinct insurgency largely separate 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 affecting civilians, according to research data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the hardest-hit regions.
Tuggar stressed that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and civilians,” not one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”
Broader U.S. Military Posture
This intervention comes amid a broader pattern of American engagement overseas during this period. 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 military actions in several countries and a significant 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 questioned if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”
