American Warns of Further Nigerian Military Actions as Abuja Talks of 'Joint Continuing Missions'.

The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has warned of further military actions against ISIS strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after American forces took action against militant camps. The former president Donald Trump has framed these efforts as part of a campaign to stop the slaughter of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” Hegseth posted on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. There is more ahead … Grateful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Describes Actions as Joint Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the U.S. strikes were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to stop Christians from being killed.

Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Preceding the Airstrikes

Nigerian authorities supplied the information for the airstrikes 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 collaborating extensively 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 innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”

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

Context of Violence 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 IS branch originated when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.

Clashes between pastoralists 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 been increasingly taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than sectarian hatred.
• 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 mostly separate to the violence in the north-west.

Ongoing Unrest 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 emphasized that the operation 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 Posture

This action comes amid a wider pattern of U.S. military activity overseas during this administration. Despite campaigning as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “endless wars,” the initial period of this presidency has seen strikes in multiple countries and a major deployment of forces in another region.

Neither the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is ongoing.”