US Issues Warning of More Nigeria Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Joint Continuing Operations'.

The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated further airstrikes against ISIS strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces took action against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these efforts as part of a mission to stop the slaughter of Christians.

“The president was clear previously: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Grateful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Describes Actions as Collaborative Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This comment came after Trump had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to prevent Christians from being killed.

Nigeria is officially 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 sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have pointed out that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.

Intelligence and Coordination Preceding the Missions

Nigeria supplied the information for the airstrikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He detailed that he had consulted with his American opposite number, before contacted the Nigerian president for approval, 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 end the killing of blameless Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”

The U.S. military’s Africa Command confirmed the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in concert with local officials.

Context of Conflict in North-West Nigeria

Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by criminal groups and members of ISSP. Some observers say this IS branch originated when pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.

Clashes between pastoralists and mostly Christian farming communities have been exacerbated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in competition for resources.

• Clergy and religious leaders have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination.
• A December 24th suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more, in a distinct conflict mostly separate to the violence in the north-west.

Continuing Unrest and Statistics

There have been numerous events 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 hardest-hit regions.

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

Wider American Foreign Posture

This action comes amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this period. Despite campaigning as a “candidate of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this presidency has seen strikes in multiple countries and a significant deployment of forces in another region.

No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any fatalities in the latest airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”