🔗 Share this article US Signals of More Nigeria Military Actions as Abuja Speaks of 'Joint Ongoing Missions'. The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of additional strikes against ISIS strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a campaign to stop the killing of Christians. “The president was clear previously: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary wrote on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Actions as Joint Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint 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 secular state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Behind the Missions Nigeria supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He detailed that he had consulted with his U.S. counterpart, 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 work with the Americans, to work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.” The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities. Background of Violence in North-West Nigeria Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. 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. Conflicts between pastoralists and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in competition for resources. Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate insurgency mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Unrest and Statistics There have been numerous 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 hardest-hit regions. Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and civilians,” not one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Broader American Military Posture This intervention comes amid a wider pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this term has seen military actions in multiple countries and a significant military buildup in another region. Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is ongoing.”
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of additional strikes against ISIS strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a campaign to stop the killing of Christians. “The president was clear previously: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary wrote on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Actions as Joint Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint 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 secular state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Behind the Missions Nigeria supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He detailed that he had consulted with his U.S. counterpart, 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 work with the Americans, to work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.” The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities. Background of Violence in North-West Nigeria Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. 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. Conflicts between pastoralists and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in competition for resources. Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate insurgency mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Unrest and Statistics There have been numerous 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 hardest-hit regions. Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and civilians,” not one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Broader American Military Posture This intervention comes amid a wider pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this term has seen military actions in multiple countries and a significant military buildup in another region. Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is ongoing.”