American Signals of More Nigerian Airstrikes as Abuja Speaks of 'Collaborative Ongoing Operations'.
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of additional military actions against IS positions in northwest Nigeria. This follows hours after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a mission to stop the slaughter of Christians.
“The commander-in-chief was explicit last month: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” Hegseth wrote on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Strikes as Collaborative Operation
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement came after Trump had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of failing 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 garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.
Information and Coordination Preceding the Airstrikes
Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before called 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 always been hoping for, to partner with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with local officials.
Context of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria
Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this affiliate originated when pastoralists joined together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.
Clashes between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in disputes for land and water.
- Clergy and religious leaders have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some experts say this may be driven more by financial motives than religious discrimination.
- A Christmas Eve attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a separate conflict largely separate to the violence in the north-west.
Ongoing Unrest and Data
There have been numerous incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them affecting civilians, according to conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions.
Tuggar stressed that the mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”
Broader U.S. Foreign Policy
This action occurs amid a wider pattern of American 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 presidency has seen military actions in multiple countries and a significant deployment of forces in another region.
No official from the U.S. or 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 fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”
