American Issues Warning of Additional Nigeria Airstrikes as Abuja Talks of 'Collaborative Ongoing Operations'.

The American Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, has signaled additional strikes against Islamic State targets in north-western Nigeria. This comes hours after U.S. military forces conducted operations 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 explicit previously: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria must end,” the defense secretary posted on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is always ready, so ISIS discovered tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Grateful for Abuja's backing and collaboration. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Describes Strikes as Collaborative Effort

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative continuing operations.” This comment followed after the former U.S. leader had earlier accused Nigeria’s government of not doing enough to stop 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 frame it as religious persecution. The government in Abuja have pointed out that armed groups attack both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Behind the Airstrikes

Nigeria provided the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told 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 partner with the Americans, to work with other countries, to fight terrorism, to end the death of innocent Nigerians … It’s a collaborative effort.”

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

Context of Violence in North-West Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some analysts say this IS branch originated when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.

Clashes between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farming communities have been aggravated by communal and sectarian factors, but their core causes lie in competition for resources.

• Clergy and pastors have increasingly been kidnapped for ransom, though some specialists say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than sectarian hatred.
• A Christmas Eve attack 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.

Ongoing Violence and Data

There have been thousands of incidents 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 hardest-hit regions.

Tuggar stressed that the operation was about “protecting Nigerians and civilians,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not aimed at any religion.”

Broader American Military Policy

This action comes amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this period. Despite running as a “champion of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “endless wars,” 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 casualties in the latest airstrikes. When questioned if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”