US Warns of More Nigeria Strikes as Abuja Talks of 'Collaborative Continuing Missions'.

The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated further military actions against Islamic State targets in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces took action against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these efforts as part of a mission to halt the slaughter of Christians.

“The president was explicit previously: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” the defense secretary wrote on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

Nigeria's Top Diplomat Describes Strikes as Joint Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This comment came after the former U.S. leader had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to stop Christians from being killed.

Nigeria is constitutionally a non-religious state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that armed groups target both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Behind the Missions

Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had consulted with his American opposite number, before called the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently conferred with the American official again.

“We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to work with the Americans, to work with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”

The U.S. military’s Africa Command confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with local officials.

Background of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria

Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some observers say this IS branch started when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.

Clashes between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes 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 religious discrimination.
• A Christmas Eve suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a distinct insurgency mostly separate to the violence in the north-west.

Ongoing Violence and Statistics

There have been thousands of events 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 one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.”

Wider American Foreign Posture

This action occurs amid a wider pattern of American activity overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the initial period 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 revealed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”