🔗 Share this article American Issues Warning of Additional Nigeria Airstrikes as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Collaborative Continuing Missions'. The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of new airstrikes against ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a campaign to halt the slaughter of Christians. “The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth stated on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Foreign Minister Describes Strikes as Joint Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement came after Trump had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to stop 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 religious persecution. The government in Abuja have pointed out that armed groups target both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Preceding the Missions Nigeria supplied the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He explained that he had consulted with his American opposite number, before contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then spoke with the American official again. “We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner with the Americans, to work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with local officials. Background of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria Wooded areas 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 originated when herders banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Conflicts 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 pastors have been increasingly taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred. A Christmas Eve attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a separate conflict mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Continuing Violence and Data There have been thousands of incidents 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 most affected regions. Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Wider American Foreign Policy This action comes amid a wider pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “candidate 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 military buildup in another region. No official from the U.S. or 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 fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of new airstrikes against ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a campaign to halt the slaughter of Christians. “The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth stated on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Foreign Minister Describes Strikes as Joint Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement came after Trump had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to stop 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 religious persecution. The government in Abuja have pointed out that armed groups target both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Preceding the Missions Nigeria supplied the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He explained that he had consulted with his American opposite number, before contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then spoke with the American official again. “We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner with the Americans, to work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with local officials. Background of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria Wooded areas 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 originated when herders banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Conflicts 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 pastors have been increasingly taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred. A Christmas Eve attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a separate conflict mostly unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Continuing Violence and Data There have been thousands of incidents 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 most affected regions. Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Wider American Foreign Policy This action comes amid a wider pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “candidate 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 military buildup in another region. No official from the U.S. or 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 fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”