🔗 Share this article US Warns of More Nigeria Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Collaborative Ongoing Missions'. The American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of additional strikes against IS positions in north-western Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces launched strikes against militant camps. The former president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a campaign to end the slaughter of Christians. “The president was explicit previously: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” the defense secretary posted on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Joint Operation Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This comment came after Trump had earlier alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is officially a secular 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 religious persecution. The government in Abuja have pointed out that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims. Intelligence and Collaboration Behind the Missions Nigeria provided the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then 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 always been hoping for, to work with the Americans, to work with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with Nigerian authorities. Background of Violence in North-West Nigeria Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this affiliate started when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim. Conflicts between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in competition for resources. Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists 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 distinct insurgency mostly separate to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Unrest and Statistics There have been thousands of incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them affecting civilians, according to research 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 one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Broader U.S. Foreign Posture This intervention occurs amid a broader pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this presidency has seen military actions in multiple countries and a major military buildup in another region. Neither the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked 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 American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of additional strikes against IS positions in north-western Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces launched strikes against militant camps. The former president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a campaign to end the slaughter of Christians. “The president was explicit previously: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” the defense secretary posted on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Joint Operation Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This comment came after Trump had earlier alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is officially a secular 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 religious persecution. The government in Abuja have pointed out that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims. Intelligence and Collaboration Behind the Missions Nigeria provided the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then 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 always been hoping for, to work with the Americans, to work with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with Nigerian authorities. Background of Violence in North-West Nigeria Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this affiliate started when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim. Conflicts between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in competition for resources. Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists 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 distinct insurgency mostly separate to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Unrest and Statistics There have been thousands of incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about 50% of them affecting civilians, according to research 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 one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Broader U.S. Foreign Posture This intervention occurs amid a broader pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this presidency has seen military actions in multiple countries and a major military buildup in another region. Neither the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked 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.”