🔗 Share this article American Issues Warning of Further Nigerian Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Collaborative Continuing Operations'. The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional airstrikes against ISIS targets in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a campaign to end the killing of Christians. “The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of defenseless Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” Hegseth stated on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Nigerian government backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Collaborative Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had earlier alleged Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is constitutionally a secular 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 frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Behind the Missions Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then conferred with the American official again. “We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to end the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africa Command confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in concert with Nigerian authorities. Context of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria Forests in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some observers say this affiliate started when pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim. Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated 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 criminal incentives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a distinct conflict mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Unrest and Data There have been thousands of incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them targeting civilians, according to conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions. Tuggar emphasized that the mission was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Wider American Military Policy This intervention occurs amid a broader pattern of American engagement overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “endless wars,” the first year of this presidency has seen strikes in multiple 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 additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional airstrikes against ISIS targets in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a campaign to end the killing of Christians. “The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of defenseless Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” Hegseth stated on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Nigerian government backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Collaborative Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had earlier alleged Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is constitutionally a secular 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 frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Behind the Missions Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then conferred with the American official again. “We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to end the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africa Command confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in concert with Nigerian authorities. Context of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria Forests in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some observers say this affiliate started when pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim. Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated 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 criminal incentives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a distinct conflict mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Unrest and Data There have been thousands of incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them targeting civilians, according to conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions. Tuggar emphasized that the mission was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Wider American Military Policy This intervention occurs amid a broader pattern of American engagement overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “endless wars,” the first year of this presidency has seen strikes in multiple 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 additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”