The United States military has reportedly prepared contingency plans for potential airstrikes in Nigeria after President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to “prepare to intervene” to shield Christians from terrorist assaults, according to The New York Times.
The newspaper reported on Wednesday that U.S. Africa Command had submitted multiple operational blueprints to the Department of War after Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered strategies aligned with Trump’s directive.
Insiders familiar with the talks revealed that the classified proposals labeled “heavy,” “medium,” and “light”, detailed varying degrees of U.S. involvement in Nigeria.
The “heavy option” would station an aircraft carrier strike group in the Gulf of Guinea, supported by fighter jets or long-range bombers to strike militant strongholds in the north.
The “medium option” calls for MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drones to conduct pinpoint attacks on insurgent camps, convoys, and vehicles, guided by real-time U.S. intelligence.
The “light option” focuses on sharing intelligence, providing logistics, and conducting joint missions with Nigerian forces against Boko Haram and other Islamist factions blamed for massacres, kidnappings, and church bombings.
Senior Pentagon leaders cautioned that limited airstrikes or drone operations cannot end Nigeria’s protracted insurgency without a full-scale invasion akin to Iraq or Afghanistan, an option Washington is not pursuing.
Days earlier, Trump posted on Truth Social, ordering the U.S. War Department to ready possible operations in Nigeria.
He charged the Nigerian government with ignoring what he termed widespread slaughter of Christians.
Trump threatened to cut off all U.S. aid and support to Nigeria unless the attacks cease.
He also signaled that America could launch military action to eradicate what he labeled “Islamic terrorists” behind the violence.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.
He added, “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”
China on Tuesday declared its backing for Nigeria and warned against foreign meddling under the guise of religion or human rights.
“As Nigeria’s comprehensive strategic partner, China firmly opposes any country using religion and human rights as an excuse to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, and threatening other countries with sanctions and force,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated in Beijing.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
