American Warns of More Nigerian Military Actions as Abuja Talks of 'Joint Continuing Missions'.
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has signaled additional military actions against IS targets in north-western Nigeria. This comes a short time after U.S. military forces launched strikes against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has framed these actions as part of a campaign to halt the killing of Christians.
“The commander-in-chief was explicit last month: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” Hegseth stated on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Actions as Collaborative Operation
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This statement came after Trump had previously accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to stop Christians from being killed.
Nigeria is officially a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.
Information and Collaboration Behind the Airstrikes
Nigeria supplied the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then spoke with the American official again.
“We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar said. “This is what we’ve long desired, to work with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to end the killing of blameless Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africa Command confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with local officials.
Context of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria
Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some analysts say this IS branch started when pastoralists joined together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.
Conflicts between pastoralists and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, 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 financial motives than sectarian hatred.
- A Christmas Eve attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west.
Ongoing Violence and Data
There have been thousands of events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them affecting civilians, according to research data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions.
Tuggar stressed that the mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and civilians,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”
Wider American Military Posture
This intervention comes amid a broader pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this period. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this term has seen military actions in several countries and a major deployment of forces in another region.
No official from the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When questioned if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”
