US Issues Warning of Further Nigerian Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Collaborative Continuing Missions'.

The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of additional airstrikes against Islamic State positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a campaign to halt the killing of Christians.

“The president was explicit last month: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” Hegseth stated on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Describes Actions as Joint Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This comment followed after the former U.S. leader had previously alleged 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. Attacks against Christians has garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have pointed out that armed groups target both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes

Nigerian authorities provided the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He explained that he had spoken with his American opposite number, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then conferred 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 work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to end 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 Nigerian authorities.

Background of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria

Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this affiliate started when herders joined together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.

Conflicts between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in competition for resources.

• Priests and pastors have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, 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 killed at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a distinct insurgency mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west.

Ongoing Unrest and Data

There have been numerous incidents 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 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 Policy

This intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “candidate 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 major deployment of forces in another region.

No official from the U.S. nor 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 fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”