US Issues Warning of Further Nigerian Military Actions as Abuja Speaks of 'Collaborative Continuing Missions'.

The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated new military actions against IS positions in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces launched strikes against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a campaign to halt the killing of Christians.

“The president was explicit previously: the killing of defenseless Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary wrote on a social platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

Nigeria's Foreign Minister Frames Actions as Joint Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, stated on Friday that the American military actions were “part of joint continuing operations.” This statement came after Trump had previously accused Nigeria’s government of failing 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 religious groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Preceding the Airstrikes

Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his American opposite number, before 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 work with other countries, to combat 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 coordination with Nigerian authorities.

Context of Conflict in North-West 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 analysts say this IS branch originated when herders banded 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 aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their roots lie in competition for resources.

• Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by financial motives than religious discrimination.
• A Christmas Eve suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west.

Continuing Violence and Data

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 stressed that the mission was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.”

Wider U.S. Military Policy

This intervention comes 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 term has seen strikes in multiple countries and a major deployment of forces in another region.

Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When questioned if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”