🔗 Share this article American Warns of Further Nigerian Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Ongoing Operations'. The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional strikes against Islamic State targets in north-western Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces launched strikes against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a mission to end the killing of Christians. “The president was explicit previously: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth wrote on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Grateful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Collaborative Operation Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This comment followed after the former U.S. leader had previously alleged 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. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Intelligence and Collaboration Behind the Airstrikes Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and subsequently conferred 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 combat terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.” The U.S. military’s Africa Command said 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 criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some observers say this IS branch started when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Conflicts between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in disputes for land and water. Priests and pastors have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination. A Christmas Eve suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct insurgency mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Violence and Data There have been numerous events 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 hardest-hit regions. Tuggar stressed that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Wider American Foreign Posture This intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this period. Despite running as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the initial period of this term has seen military actions 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 fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When questioned if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”
The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional strikes against Islamic State targets in north-western Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces launched strikes against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a mission to end the killing of Christians. “The president was explicit previously: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth wrote on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Grateful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Collaborative Operation Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This comment followed after the former U.S. leader had previously alleged 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. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Intelligence and Collaboration Behind the Airstrikes Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and subsequently conferred 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 combat terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.” The U.S. military’s Africa Command said 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 criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some observers say this IS branch started when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Conflicts between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in disputes for land and water. Priests and pastors have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination. A Christmas Eve suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct insurgency mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Violence and Data There have been numerous events 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 hardest-hit regions. Tuggar stressed that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Wider American Foreign Posture This intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this period. Despite running as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the initial period of this term has seen military actions 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 fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When questioned if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”