US Warns of Additional Nigeria Strikes as Abuja Talks of 'Collaborative Ongoing Operations'.

The U.S. defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has indicated further military actions against IS targets in northwest Nigeria. This comes hours after American forces took action against insurgent bases. The former president Donald Trump has characterized these actions as part of a campaign to end the killing of Christians.

“The commander-in-chief was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria must end,” the defense secretary wrote on a social platform. “The Department of Defense is constantly prepared, so ISIS found out tonight – on Christmas. More to come … Thankful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

The Nigerian Top Diplomat Frames Actions as Collaborative Operation

Nigeria’s foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the American military actions were “part of collaborative ongoing operations.” This comment came after the former U.S. leader had earlier accused 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 garnered focus from religious groups in the United States, who frame it as sectarian targeting. The government in Abuja have pointed out that militants attack both Christians and Muslims.

Information and Collaboration Preceding the Airstrikes

Nigerian authorities provided the intelligence for the strikes in Sokoto state, Tuggar told a television network. He explained that he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart, then 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 end the death of blameless Nigerians … It’s a collaborative 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 Northwestern Nigeria

Forests in Sokoto state, which borders Niger, have been used as bases by criminal groups and members of Islamic State – Sahel Province. Some analysts say this affiliate originated when pastoralists joined together to combat bandits due to a lack of state support. The region is predominantly Muslim.

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

• Priests and religious leaders have increasingly been taken hostage, though some specialists say this may be driven more by criminal incentives 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 conflict mostly separate to the violence in the north-west.

Continuing Violence and Data

There have been numerous incidents of violence in Nigeria this year, with about half of them targeting civilians, according to research data. States like Katsina and Sokoto have been among the hardest-hit regions.

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

Broader U.S. Foreign Policy

This intervention comes amid a wider pattern of American engagement overseas during this administration. Despite running as a “candidate of peace” who promised to withdraw the U.S. from “endless wars,” the initial period of this presidency has seen strikes in several countries and a major deployment of forces in another region.

No official from the U.S. or Nigerian authorities have revealed if there were any fatalities in the recent airstrikes. When asked if more would follow, Tuggar replied: “You can call it a fresh chapter of an long-standing struggle. For us it is something that is continuing.”