US Signals of Further Nigerian Airstrikes as Abuja Speaks of 'Joint Ongoing Missions'.
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional military actions against ISIS targets in north-western Nigeria. This comes hours after American forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these efforts as part of a mission to stop the slaughter of Christians.
“The president was clear last month: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” the defense secretary stated on a social media platform. “The Pentagon 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 Frames Actions as Collaborative Effort
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement followed after the former U.S. leader had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed.
Nigeria is constitutionally a non-religious state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have noted that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.
Information and Collaboration Behind the Airstrikes
Nigerian authorities provided the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his American opposite number, before contacted the Nigerian president for approval, 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 work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the killing of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africom said the strikes in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with local officials.
Context of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria
Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this IS branch started when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.
Conflicts between pastoralists and predominantly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in disputes for resources.
- Clergy and religious leaders have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some experts say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred.
- A December 24th attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and injured dozens more, in a separate insurgency largely separate to the violence in the north-west.
Ongoing Unrest and Statistics
There have been thousands of incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them targeting civilians, according to conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions.
Tuggar stressed that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and civilians,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.”
Wider U.S. Military Policy
This intervention comes amid a broader pattern of American engagement overseas during this period. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “endless wars,” the first year of this term has seen strikes in several countries and a significant deployment of forces in another region.
Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”
