American Signals of More Nigerian Strikes as Nigeria's Capital Speaks of 'Collaborative Continuing Operations'.

The American defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated additional airstrikes against ISIS strongholds in northwest Nigeria. This comes a short time after U.S. military forces launched strikes against militant camps. The ex-president Donald Trump has characterized these efforts as part of a campaign to end the killing of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was explicit last month: the murder of innocent Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary stated on a social media platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. Additional actions will follow … Thankful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Describes Strikes as Collaborative Operation

Nigeria’s top diplomat, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement followed after Trump had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent 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 religious groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. Nigerian authorities have noted that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Coordination Preceding the Missions

Nigeria supplied the intelligence for the airstrikes 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 then spoke with the American official again.

“We have been collaborating extensively with the Americans,” Tuggar stated. “This is what we’ve always been hoping for, to work with the Americans, to work with other countries, to combat terrorism, to stop the killing of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”

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

Background of Conflict in Northwestern Nigeria

Wooded areas in Sokoto state, which is adjacent to Niger, have been used as hideouts by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this affiliate started when pastoralists banded together to fight bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.

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

• Priests and pastors have been increasingly taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by financial motives than religious discrimination.
• A Christmas Eve suicide bombing 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 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 mission was about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a joint operation,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.”

Broader American Foreign Policy

This intervention comes amid a wider pattern of U.S. military engagement overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “champion of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the initial period of this presidency has seen military actions in multiple countries and a significant military buildup in another region.

Neither 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 fresh chapter of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”