🔗 Share this article US Signals of Further Nigeria Strikes as Abuja Speaks of 'Joint Ongoing Missions'. The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of further strikes against IS strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a mission to halt the slaughter of Christians. “The commander-in-chief was explicit last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Foreign Minister Describes Actions as Collaborative Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint continuing operations.” This comment 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 describe it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have noted that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Behind the Missions Nigerian authorities provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then conferred 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 concert with local officials. Background of Conflict in North-West Nigeria Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this IS branch started when herders banded together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in disputes for land and water. Clergy and pastors have increasingly been taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than sectarian hatred. A Christmas Eve attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct conflict largely separate to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Unrest and Statistics There have been numerous 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 hardest-hit regions. Tuggar emphasized that the mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and civilians,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Wider American Military Policy This action occurs amid a broader 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 “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this term has seen strikes in multiple countries and a significant deployment of forces in another region. Neither the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of further strikes against IS strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a mission to halt the slaughter of Christians. “The commander-in-chief was explicit last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Foreign Minister Describes Actions as Collaborative Effort Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint continuing operations.” This comment 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 describe it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have noted that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Behind the Missions Nigerian authorities provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then conferred 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 concert with local officials. Background of Conflict in North-West Nigeria Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this IS branch started when herders banded together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in disputes for land and water. Clergy and pastors have increasingly been taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than sectarian hatred. A Christmas Eve attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct conflict largely separate to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Unrest and Statistics There have been numerous 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 hardest-hit regions. Tuggar emphasized that the mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and civilians,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Wider American Military Policy This action occurs amid a broader 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 “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this term has seen strikes in multiple countries and a significant deployment of forces in another region. Neither the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”