US Warns of Further Nigeria Strikes as Abuja Talks of 'Joint Ongoing Operations'.

The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional military actions against ISIS positions in northwest Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces conducted operations against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has framed these actions as part of a campaign to halt the killing of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was explicit last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Nigerian government backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”

Nigeria's Top Diplomat Frames Actions as Joint Operation

Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This statement came after Trump had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed.

Nigeria is officially a non-religious state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants target both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Preceding the Missions

Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his American opposite number, then contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and then spoke with the American official again.

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

The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in coordination with local officials.

Background of Violence in North-West Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this IS branch started when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.

Conflicts between pastoralists and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in disputes for land and water.

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

Continuing Unrest and Data

There have been thousands of events 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 hardest-hit regions.

Tuggar stressed that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not one religion. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.”

Broader U.S. Foreign Policy

This intervention occurs amid a wider pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “champion of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this presidency has seen strikes in multiple countries and a major military buildup in another region.

No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When asked if additional actions would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a new phase of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is ongoing.”