🔗 Share this article American Signals of Further Nigerian Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Continuing Missions'. The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional military actions against Islamic State strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This comes hours after American forces took action against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a campaign to end the killing of Christians. “The president was explicit previously: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary stated on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Grateful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Actions 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 came after Trump had previously accused Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is constitutionally a non-religious state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Intelligence and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently conferred with the American official again. “We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner 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 Africom confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with local officials. Context of Violence in North-West Nigeria Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some observers say this IS branch started when herders banded 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 core causes lie in competition for resources. Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, 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 killed at least five people and injured dozens more, in a separate insurgency mostly separate to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Violence and Statistics 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 hardest-hit regions. Tuggar stressed that the mission was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Broader U.S. Foreign Policy This action occurs amid a broader pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate 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. No official from the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the recent airstrikes. When questioned if more would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional military actions against Islamic State strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This comes hours after American forces took action against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a campaign to end the killing of Christians. “The president was explicit previously: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary stated on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Grateful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Actions 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 came after Trump had previously accused Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is constitutionally a non-religious state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Intelligence and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently conferred with the American official again. “We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner 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 Africom confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with local officials. Context of Violence in North-West Nigeria Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some observers say this IS branch started when herders banded 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 core causes lie in competition for resources. Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, 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 killed at least five people and injured dozens more, in a separate insurgency mostly separate to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Violence and Statistics 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 hardest-hit regions. Tuggar stressed that the mission was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Broader U.S. Foreign Policy This action occurs amid a broader pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate 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. No official from the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the recent airstrikes. When questioned if more would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”