US Signals of Additional Nigeria Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Ongoing Missions'.

The American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of new airstrikes against IS positions 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 actions as part of a mission to stop the killing of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was explicit previously: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” Hegseth wrote on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Grateful for Nigerian government backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Foreign Minister Describes Actions as Joint Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This comment followed 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 almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims.

Intelligence and Collaboration Preceding the Missions

Nigeria provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He explained that he had spoken with his American opposite number, then contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and then conferred with the American official again.

“We have been collaborating extensively 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 end the killing of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”

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

Context of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some observers say this IS branch started when herders banded together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.

Conflicts between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in disputes for land and water.

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

Ongoing Unrest and Statistics

There have been numerous events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them targeting civilians, according to research data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions.

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

Wider U.S. Foreign Posture

This action occurs amid a broader pattern of American activity overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the first year of this presidency has seen military actions in several countries and a major military buildup in another region.

Neither the U.S. nor 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 old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”