American Issues Warning of More Nigerian Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Joint Continuing Operations'.

The American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated new airstrikes against IS strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This comes a short time after American forces launched strikes against militant camps. The former president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a mission to halt the killing of Christians.

“The president was clear previously: the killing of defenseless Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” the defense secretary wrote on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Nigerian government backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Frames Actions as Collaborative Effort

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

Nigeria is constitutionally 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 religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have noted that armed groups target both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Preceding the Airstrikes

Nigeria supplied the information for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and then conferred with the American official again.

“We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar said. “This is what we’ve always been hoping for, 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 confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities.

Background of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some observers say this affiliate started when pastoralists 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 exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in competition for resources.

• Priests and pastors have been increasingly taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by criminal incentives 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 unrelated to the violence in the north-west.

Ongoing Violence and Data

There have been thousands of events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them affecting civilians, according to research data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions.

Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and civilians,” not one religion. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”

Wider American Foreign Policy

This intervention comes amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this presidency has seen military actions in multiple countries and a significant deployment of forces in another region.

Neither the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities 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 ongoing.”