US Issues Warning of Additional Nigerian Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Joint Ongoing Operations'.

The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has signaled further airstrikes against ISIS strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces launched strikes against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a campaign to halt the killing of Christians.

“The president was explicit last month: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary wrote on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

Nigeria's Top Diplomat Describes Strikes as Joint Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This comment followed 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 almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.

Intelligence and Collaboration Behind the Missions

Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had consulted with his American opposite number, before contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and then spoke with the American official again.

“We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar said. “This is what we’ve always been hoping for, to work with the Americans, to work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to end the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”

The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the strikes in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with local officials.

Background of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some analysts say this affiliate originated when herders banded together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.

Conflicts between pastoralists 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 increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, 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 took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate insurgency mostly 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 half of them affecting civilians, according to research data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the most affected regions.

Tuggar emphasized that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and civilians,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.”

Wider American Foreign Policy

This action occurs amid a wider pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this period. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the initial period of this presidency has seen strikes in multiple countries and a major military buildup in another region.

No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any casualties in the latest 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.”