US Warns of Additional Nigerian Airstrikes as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Joint Continuing Operations'.

The American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of further strikes against IS targets in northwest Nigeria. This follows a short time after American forces launched strikes against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a mission to stop the slaughter of Christians.

“The president was explicit last month: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” the defense secretary wrote on a social platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

Nigeria's Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Collaborative Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement came after Trump had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed.

Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.

Intelligence and Coordination Preceding the Missions

Nigerian authorities provided the information for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before called the Nigerian president for authorization, and then conferred with the American official again.

“We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar said. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner with the Americans, to work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to end the killing of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”

The U.S. military’s Africom said the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in concert with Nigerian authorities.

Context of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some analysts say this IS branch originated when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.

Clashes between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in disputes for resources.

• Priests and religious leaders have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some experts say this may be driven more by financial motives than religious discrimination.
• A December 24th attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a separate insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west.

Continuing Unrest and Statistics

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

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

Wider U.S. Foreign Policy

This intervention comes amid a wider pattern of American 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 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 recent airstrikes. When questioned if additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”