🔗 Share this article American Issues Warning of Further Nigeria Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Continuing Missions'. The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated new military actions against ISIS strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This comes a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has characterized these efforts as part of a campaign to stop the slaughter of Christians. “The president was clear previously: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Foreign Minister Frames Strikes as Collaborative Operation Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had previously accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims. Information and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes Nigeria provided the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his American opposite number, then contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and subsequently spoke with the American official again. “We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar said. “This is what we’ve long desired, to work with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the death of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the operations in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with local officials. Background of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria Forests in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some analysts say this IS branch started when pastoralists joined together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim. Clashes between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in competition for land and water. Priests and pastors have increasingly been taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination. A Christmas Eve suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate conflict largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Violence and Data 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 most affected regions. Tuggar emphasized that the mission was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Wider U.S. Military Policy This action comes amid a wider pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this presidency has seen strikes in several countries and a major military buildup in another region. Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any fatalities in the recent airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”
The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated new military actions against ISIS strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This comes a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has characterized these efforts as part of a campaign to stop the slaughter of Christians. “The president was clear previously: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” Hegseth posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Foreign Minister Frames Strikes as Collaborative Operation Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, remarked on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had previously accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims. Information and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes Nigeria provided the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his American opposite number, then contacted the Nigerian president for approval, and subsequently spoke with the American official again. “We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar said. “This is what we’ve long desired, to work with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the death of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africa Command said the operations in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with local officials. Background of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria Forests in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some analysts say this IS branch started when pastoralists joined together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim. Clashes between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots lie in competition for land and water. Priests and pastors have increasingly been taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination. A Christmas Eve suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate conflict largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Ongoing Violence and Data 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 most affected regions. Tuggar emphasized that the mission was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.” Wider U.S. Military Policy This action comes amid a wider pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this presidency has seen strikes in several countries and a major military buildup in another region. Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any fatalities in the recent airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”