US Issues Warning of Additional Nigeria Military Actions as Abuja Talks of 'Joint Ongoing Operations'.

The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has warned of new strikes against Islamic State positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows hours after U.S. military forces conducted operations against militant camps. The former president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a mission to end the killing of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was explicit last month: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” the defense secretary wrote on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Foreign Minister Describes Actions as Collaborative Operation

Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This statement 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 almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have pointed out that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Collaboration Preceding the Missions

Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then called the Nigerian president for authorization, and then spoke 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 cooperate with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”

The U.S. military’s Africom said the operations in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with local officials.

Context of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some observers say this IS branch started when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.

Clashes between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in disputes for land and water.

• Clergy and religious leaders have been increasingly 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 wounded dozens more, in a separate conflict largely separate 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 50% of them targeting civilians, according to conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the hardest-hit regions.

Tuggar stressed that the mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”

Wider U.S. Foreign Policy

This intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this period. 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 several countries and a major military buildup in another region.

Neither 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 long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is ongoing.”