American Warns of Additional Nigeria Airstrikes as Abuja Talks of 'Collaborative Ongoing Missions'.
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional strikes against IS positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after American forces took action against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a campaign to stop the slaughter of Christians.
“The president was clear last month: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” Hegseth posted on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”
The Nigerian Foreign Minister Describes Actions as Joint Effort
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint continuing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had previously accused 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. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.
Intelligence and Collaboration Preceding the Airstrikes
Nigeria provided the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his American opposite number, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently spoke with the American official again.
“We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve always been hoping for, 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 said the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in concert with local officials.
Background of Conflict in North-West Nigeria
Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some observers say this IS branch originated when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.
Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in competition for resources.
- Clergy and religious leaders have increasingly been taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred.
- 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 separate insurgency largely separate to the violence in the north-west.
Continuing Violence and Statistics
There have been thousands of 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 most affected regions.
Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”
Wider American Foreign Policy
This intervention occurs amid a broader pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this period. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the initial period of this presidency has seen strikes in several countries and a major deployment of forces in another region.
No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”
