American Warns of Further Nigeria Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Continuing Operations'.

The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional military actions against Islamic State positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after American forces took action against militant camps. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these efforts as part of a mission to end the slaughter of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary wrote on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Frames Strikes as Collaborative Effort

Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This statement came after Trump had previously accused 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. Attacks against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Collaboration Preceding the Airstrikes

Nigerian authorities provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and then spoke with the American official again.

“We have been collaborating extensively 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 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 carried out in concert with Nigerian authorities.

Context of Violence in North-West Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this IS branch originated when pastoralists joined together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.

Clashes between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by communal and sectarian factors, but their roots lie in disputes for land and water.

• Priests and pastors have increasingly been taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by financial motives than sectarian hatred.
• A December 24th 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 unrelated to the violence in the north-west.

Ongoing Violence and Statistics

There have been thousands of events 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 hardest-hit regions.

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

Broader American Military Policy

This intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this presidency has seen military actions in multiple countries and a major military buildup in another region.

No official from the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked 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 ongoing.”