American Issues Warning of Further Nigeria Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Continuing Operations'.

The American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated new strikes against IS positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows hours after American forces launched strikes against militant camps. The former president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a mission to stop the slaughter of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was clear previously: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” Hegseth posted on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Grateful for Nigerian government backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”

Nigeria's Foreign Minister Describes 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 Trump had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed.

Nigeria is officially a secular 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. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Collaboration Preceding the Airstrikes

Nigerian authorities provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his American opposite number, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently 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 cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to end 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 concert with Nigerian authorities.

Background of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some observers say this affiliate started when herders banded together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.

Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in competition for land and water.

• Priests and pastors have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists 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 injured dozens more, in a distinct insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west.

Ongoing Violence and Data

There have been numerous incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them affecting civilians, according to research data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the hardest-hit regions.

Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “safeguarding Nigerians and civilians,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”

Broader U.S. Military Policy

This action occurs amid a broader pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this term has seen strikes in several countries and a major deployment of forces in another region.

Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities in the recent airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”