🔗 Share this article American Signals of More Nigeria Strikes as Abuja Talks of 'Joint Continuing Missions'. The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of further military actions against Islamic State strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This follows hours after American forces took action against militant camps. The former 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 needs to cease,” the defense secretary stated on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Joint Effort Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint continuing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had earlier alleged Nigeria’s government of failing 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 drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Intelligence and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes Nigeria provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his American opposite number, before called the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently spoke 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 blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with Nigerian authorities. Background of Conflict in North-West 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 pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in competition for land and water. Priests and pastors have been increasingly taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct insurgency mostly separate to the violence in the north-west. Continuing Violence and Data There have been numerous incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them targeting 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 “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Wider American Foreign Posture This intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this presidency has seen strikes in several countries and a major deployment of forces in another region. No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities in the recent airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”
The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned of further military actions against Islamic State strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This follows hours after American forces took action against militant camps. The former 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 needs to cease,” the defense secretary stated on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” Nigeria's Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Joint Effort Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of joint continuing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had earlier alleged Nigeria’s government of failing 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 drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Intelligence and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes Nigeria provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his American opposite number, before called the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently spoke 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 blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with Nigerian authorities. Background of Conflict in North-West 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 pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim. Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their core causes lie in competition for land and water. Priests and pastors have been increasingly taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct insurgency mostly separate to the violence in the north-west. Continuing Violence and Data There have been numerous incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them targeting 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 “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Wider American Foreign Posture This intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this presidency has seen strikes in several countries and a major deployment of forces in another region. No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities in the recent airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”