American Issues Warning of More Nigeria Strikes as Abuja Speaks of 'Collaborative Continuing Operations'.
The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional military actions against ISIS strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This follows hours after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a campaign to halt the killing of Christians.
“The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” Hegseth stated on a social platform. “The Pentagon is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Strikes as Collaborative Effort
Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This comment followed after the former U.S. leader had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed.
Nigeria is officially a non-religious state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that armed groups target both Christians and Muslims.
Information and Collaboration Behind the Airstrikes
Nigeria provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for approval, 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 death of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”
The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in concert with local officials.
Background of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria
Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this affiliate started when pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.
Conflicts between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in competition for land and water.
- Priests and religious leaders have increasingly been taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by financial motives than religious discrimination.
- A December 24th suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate conflict largely separate to the violence in the north-west.
Ongoing Unrest and Statistics
There have been thousands of events 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 most affected regions.
Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”
Wider U.S. Foreign Policy
This action comes amid a wider pattern of American activity overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the first year of this term has seen strikes in several countries and a major military buildup in another region.
Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any casualties in the latest 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.”
