US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Image Credit: @PeteHegseth via X)
Airstrikes directed at ISIS targets in the northwestern region of Nigeria were conducted by the US military on Christmas Day, thereby constituting a major increment in its counter terrorism initiatives in the area. The involvement of President Donald Trump and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the strikes as part of a total strategy to limit the violence by the radical factions that have been accused of targeting non combatants, especially Christians a strategy that Trump characterized as the ‘killing of innocent Christians’ that moreover must be stopped. However, despite the fact that neither US nor Nigerian officials have so far admitted to any deaths resulting from the bombings, the US Africa Command mentioned that the militants in question were many and that the actions had been carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian military.
Tuggar was very clear about the fact that the joint operations were meant to provide safety to all Nigerians and that they should not be interpreted as being against any particular religious community, saying that both Muslims and Christians suffer from the violence of secular and religious extremists in the country. The minister said the attacks were a continuation of the security collaboration that has been going on between Abuja and Washington and that it also included sharing intelligence and coordinating strategies to reduce the operational capacities of jihadist groups such as the Islamically linked Lakurawa fighters who are active in Sokoto State and are strongly supported by the Islamic State.
In their comments after the operation, US officials hinted that there might be more military actions, and Hegseth’s postings on social media were saying ‘more to come’ as part of the ongoing fight against ISIS factions. The Nigerian government also pointed out that the airstrikes signified a new phase of co operative counter terrorism work rather than a one off mission and thus stressed the need to tackle the problem through joint operations that would not cease until the threats were eradicated. Residents in the areas where the strikes occurred expressed their fear and bewilderment as the explosions lit up the night sky, and at the same time, analysts argued that the violence in the northern part of Nigeria is a result of the complicated insurgencies and the problem of violent extremists which are not strictly religious, but also involve the competition for resources and the activity of bandits.
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