Nigeria's government has announced that it played a role in the US airstrikes conducted on Christmas Day, according to the country's foreign minister on Friday.
Former President Donald Trump had announced the aerial attacks against ISIS militants in north-west Nigeria after spending weeks decrying the organization for targeting Christian communities.
Nigeria's foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, stated that he had engaged in "extensive" phone conversations with America's top diplomat Marco Rubio both prior to and following the attack.
He further added that Nigeria's president, Bola Tinubu, had given the "go-ahead" for the military action. Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, describing them as an "ongoing process" that would also involve other countries.
"This operation had nothing to do with a specific faith," Tuggar insisted in an discussion with the BBC. "The objective is about targeting militants who have been murdering Nigerian citizens."
Hours after the initial strikes, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth cautioned of more strikes against Islamic State targets in north-western Nigeria.
Hegseth described the strikes as part of efforts to stop the killing of Christians, a stance echoed by the former president. In a social media post, Hegseth stated, "The president was clear... the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria must cease. More to come..."
The Christmas Day strikes were hailed by some political allies of the former president, who had been calling for a forceful response to the attacks against Christians.
"There is no a more fitting manner to celebrate Christmas than by responding to the killings of Christians," posted one prominent political figure on a digital platform.
The situation underscores the evolving military partnership between the West African nation and the United States in addressing terrorist threats in the Sahel area.
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