🔗 Share this article American Warns of Further Nigerian Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Joint Continuing Missions'. The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated further airstrikes against Islamic State positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces took action against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these efforts as part of a campaign to end the slaughter of Christians. “The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” the defense secretary stated on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is constantly prepared, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Thankful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Foreign Minister Describes Strikes as Collaborative Operation Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This comment came after Trump had previously accused Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is officially a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who describe it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Preceding the Airstrikes Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently conferred with the American official again. “We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve always been hoping for, to partner with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom said the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in concert with Nigerian authorities. Context of Conflict in Northwestern 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 originated when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim. Conflicts 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 religious leaders have increasingly been taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Continuing Violence and Statistics There have been thousands of events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them affecting civilians, according to research 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 a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Wider American Military 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 first year of this term has seen military actions in multiple countries and a major deployment of forces in another region. No official from the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”
The U.S. Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has indicated further airstrikes against Islamic State positions in north-western Nigeria. This follows a short time after U.S. military forces took action against insurgent bases. The ex-president Donald Trump has described these efforts as part of a campaign to end the slaughter of Christians. “The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria needs to cease,” the defense secretary stated on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is constantly prepared, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Thankful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!” The Nigerian Foreign Minister Describes Strikes as Collaborative Operation Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of joint ongoing operations.” This comment came after Trump had previously accused Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed. Nigeria is officially a secular state with a population almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Attacks against Christians has drawn attention from religious groups in the United States, who describe it as religious persecution. Nigerian authorities have pointed out that militants target both Christians and Muslims. Information and Collaboration Preceding the Airstrikes Nigerian authorities supplied the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar informed a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before contacted the Nigerian president for authorization, and subsequently conferred with the American official again. “We have been working closely with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve always been hoping for, to partner with the Americans, to cooperate with other countries, to fight terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.” The U.S. military’s Africom said the strikes in Sokoto state had been carried out in concert with Nigerian authorities. Context of Conflict in Northwestern 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 originated when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim. Conflicts 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 religious leaders have increasingly been taken hostage, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than sectarian hatred. A December 24th suicide bombing at a mosque in north-east Nigeria took the lives of at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate insurgency largely unrelated to the violence in the north-west. Continuing Violence and Statistics There have been thousands of events of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them affecting civilians, according to research 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 a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.” Wider American Military 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 first year of this term has seen military actions in multiple countries and a major deployment of forces in another region. No official from the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have disclosed if there were any casualties in the latest airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is continuing.”