🔗 Share this article US Issues Warning of Additional Nigeria Strikes as Abuja Speaks of 'Collaborative Continuing Missions'. The American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has signaled further strikes against ISIS positions in northwest Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a campaign to end the slaughter of Christians. “The president was explicit last month: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Grateful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Top Diplomat Describes Actions as Joint Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This statement came after Trump had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to stop Christians from being killed. Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims. Information and Coordination Preceding the Missions Nigerian authorities provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had consulted with his U.S. counterpart, 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 always been hoping for, to work with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the killing of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in concert with Nigerian authorities. Context of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some observers say this IS branch originated when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Conflicts between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by communal and sectarian factors, but their roots lie in competition for land and water. Clergy and religious leaders have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct conflict largely separate to the violence in the north-west. Continuing Violence and Statistics There have been numerous incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% 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 mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Wider U.S. Military Posture This action comes amid a wider pattern of American activity overseas during this administration. Despite running 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 major deployment of forces in another region. No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When questioned if additional actions would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a new phase of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”
The American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has signaled further strikes against ISIS positions in northwest Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a campaign to end the slaughter of Christians. “The president was explicit last month: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Grateful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Top Diplomat Describes Actions as Joint Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This statement came after Trump had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to stop Christians from being killed. Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims. Information and Coordination Preceding the Missions Nigerian authorities provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had consulted with his U.S. counterpart, 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 always been hoping for, to work with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the killing of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in concert with Nigerian authorities. Context of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some observers say this IS branch originated when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Conflicts between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by communal and sectarian factors, but their roots lie in competition for land and water. Clergy and religious leaders have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct conflict largely separate to the violence in the north-west. Continuing Violence and Statistics There have been numerous incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% 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 mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Wider U.S. Military Posture This action comes amid a wider pattern of American activity overseas during this administration. Despite running 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 major deployment of forces in another region. No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When questioned if additional actions would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a new phase of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”