US Warns of Additional Nigeria Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Ongoing Missions'.

The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has signaled further strikes against Islamic State targets in northwest Nigeria. This follows hours after American forces launched strikes against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has characterized these efforts as part of a mission to end the killing of Christians.

“The president was clear previously: the killing 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. More to come … Thankful for Nigerian government backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”

Nigeria's Foreign Minister Describes Actions as Joint Effort

Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This comment 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 nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has drawn attention from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that armed groups target both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes

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

“We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar said. “This is what we’ve long desired, to partner with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to combat terrorism, to end the death of blameless Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”

The U.S. military’s Africa Command confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been executed in concert with Nigerian authorities.

Background of Violence in Northwestern Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some observers say this affiliate originated when herders joined 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 exacerbated by ethnicity and religion, but their roots 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 financial motives than sectarian hatred.
• 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 separate insurgency largely separate 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 research data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the hardest-hit regions.

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

Wider U.S. Foreign Policy

This action comes amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this term has seen strikes in several countries and a major military buildup in another region.

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