US defense officials have drafted air and ground strike options targeting Nigeria, ranging from drone raids to carrier deployments, in response to President Donald Trump's order to safeguard Christians from alleged Islamist militants.
Trump's weekend social media post redesignated Nigeria a "country of particular concern" for religious freedom violations, claiming an "existential threat" to Christians with "thousands" killed in a "mass slaughter."
He vowed intervention "guns-a-blazing" if attacks persist, directing the Pentagon to plan action—escalating rhetoric fueled by evangelical claims of genocide, though experts note violence stems from land disputes, banditry, and insurgencies like Boko Haram affecting Muslims and Christians alike.
A New York Times report reveals US Africa Command (AFRICOM) submitted three-tiered plans this week:
Light: Partner-enabled ops, where US and State Department aid Nigerian forces in targeting Boko Haram and other groups behind kidnappings and murders in the violence-plagued north.
Medium: Drone strikes via MQ-9 Reapers and MQ-1 Predators on militant camps, convoys, and vehicles in northern Nigeria.
Heavy: Deploying an aircraft carrier group to the Gulf of Guinea, with fighter jets and long-range bombers for deep strikes into the Sahel region.
Current and former officials warn major involvement would flop without an Iraq- or Afghanistan-scale quagmire.
Retired Iraq vet Paul Eaton called it a "fiasco," likening airstrikes to "pounding a pillow." Limited measures, they say, might dent insurgents hiding in rural villages through joint raids, but eradicating threats remains elusive after two decades of conflict.
