US Issues Warning of Additional Nigeria Airstrikes as Abuja Talks of 'Collaborative Continuing Missions'.
The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has warned of additional strikes against ISIS positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after American forces launched strikes against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a mission to halt the slaughter of Christians.
“The president was explicit previously: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth wrote on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Nigerian government backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”
Nigeria's Top Diplomat Describes Strikes as Joint Effort
Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the American military actions were “part of joint continuing operations.” This comment followed after Trump had earlier alleged Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to stop Christians from being killed.
Nigeria is constitutionally a non-religious state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.
Information and Collaboration Preceding the Missions
Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He detailed that he had spoken with his American opposite number, before contacted the Nigerian president for approval, 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 partner with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the operations in Sokoto state had been carried out in concert with Nigerian authorities.
Context of Violence in North-West Nigeria
Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some observers say this affiliate started when herders joined together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.
Clashes between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in disputes for resources.
- Priests and pastors have increasingly been taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by financial motives 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 insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west.
Continuing Unrest and Statistics
There have been thousands of events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them targeting civilians, according to research 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 intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of American activity overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the first year of this presidency has seen strikes in multiple 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 fatalities in the recent airstrikes. When asked 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 ongoing.”
