American Signals of Additional Nigerian Military Actions as Nigeria's Capital Talks of 'Joint Ongoing Operations'.

The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has signaled new military actions against Islamic State strongholds in north-western Nigeria. This comes a short time after U.S. military forces launched strikes against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has described these actions as part of a campaign to stop the killing of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the murder of defenseless Christians in Nigeria has to stop,” the defense secretary posted on a social media platform. “The Pentagon is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Abuja's support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Describes Actions as Collaborative Effort

Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This statement came after the former U.S. leader had previously alleged Nigeria’s government of failing to prevent Christians from being killed.

Nigeria is officially a non-religious state with a population nearly divided between Muslims and Christians. Violence against Christians has garnered focus from conservative groups in the United States, who describe it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have noted that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.

Intelligence and Collaboration Preceding the Missions

Nigeria supplied the information for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a local broadcaster. He detailed that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, before called the Nigerian president for approval, and then spoke 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 fight terrorism, to stop the death of blameless Nigerians … It’s a joint effort.”

The U.S. military’s Africom confirmed the operations in Sokoto state had been carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities.

Background of Conflict in North-West Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by gangs of armed bandits and members of ISSP. Some analysts say this IS branch started when pastoralists banded together to combat bandits due to a absence of state support. The region is mostly Muslim.

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

• Priests and religious leaders have been increasingly kidnapped for ransom, though some experts say this may be driven more by criminal incentives than religious discrimination.
• A Christmas Eve attack at a mosque in north-east Nigeria killed at least five people and wounded dozens more, in a separate conflict mostly unrelated 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 conflict monitoring data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the hardest-hit regions.

Tuggar emphasized that the mission was about “safeguarding Nigerians and innocent lives,” not a single faith. “It is a collaborative mission,” he said. “It is not targeting any religion.”

Broader American Foreign Policy

This intervention comes amid a wider pattern of American activity overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to extricate the U.S. from “foreign quagmires,” the first year of this term has seen strikes in several countries and a significant military buildup in another region.

No official from the U.S. nor Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities in the recent airstrikes. When questioned if additional actions would follow, Tuggar responded: “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict. For us it is something that is ongoing.”