The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has presented the Pentagon with three plans for direct intervention in the fight against Boko Haram (considered terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation) and other jihadists in northern Nigeria, including the deployment of American fighters on Nigerian soil. The New York Times wrote about this with reference to high-ranking military sources.
These plans are often called “light”, “medium” and “heavy” – depending on the level of participation of US forces.
The “easy” choice involved training and logistics for the Nigerian military plus diplomatic pressure from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Medium” – drone attacks on rebel camps, convoys and bases in Borno and Yobe states. “Heavy” – the transfer of an aircraft carrier group to the Gulf of Guinea and the permanent deployment of fighter jets, and possibly B-1 or B-52 strategic bombers for carpet strikes in the depths of northern Nigeria.
Sources clarified that the final decision rests with President Trump, who in November called Nigeria a “country of special concern” and did not rule out the use of force due to “mass killings of Christians.”
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) quickly responded, pointing out that claims of “Christian genocide” were false and only increased tensions. The regional bloc reiterated that the victims of Boko Haram and other armed groups were both Muslims and Christians, and that the Nigerian army, with the support of neighboring countries, returned 80% of the lost territory.
For his part, Advisor to the Nigerian President Daniel Bwala earlier indicated that Nigeria would welcome US support in the fight against terrorism as long as Washington recognition of territorial integrity countries. Reuters quoted an aide to the Nigerian leader as saying: “We welcome US support as long as they recognize our territorial integrity.”
He also announced a meeting planned in the coming days between the Nigerian President and US Presidents Bola Tinubu and Donald Trump, in which the two leaders will discuss issues related to the protection of Christians from attacks by Muslim terrorists.
Let us recall that earlier US President Donald Trump accused the Nigerian authorities of crimes against Christians and admitted that American troops will “step in” to this African country to restore order. On the social networking site Truth Social, he called Nigeria a “disgraceful country” and warned that if the United States attacked it, it would be “swift and brutal.” In contrast, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the military had begun Prepare for forceful measures against “Islamic terrorists” to protect Christians.
