The US military has given teeth to the directive of President Donald Trump by preparing three options for a possible strike in Nigeria after Trump ordered action to stop killing of Christians in the West African country.
The New York Times reports that US defense officials have hinted that US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has already drawn up three escalatory plans for Nigeria, namely; light, medium, and heavy options, which had been submitted to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
The followed Trump’s short message on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians,” Washington would immediately cut all aid.
Trump said the US could “go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’” and ordered the Pentagon to “prepare for possible action.”
US military officials explained that the light option would involve “partner-enabled” operations, with the US military and State Department supporting Nigerian forces against Boko Haram and other militant groups.
The medium option envisions drone strikes on militant camps and convoys, though US forces no longer have nearby bases in neighboring Niger and would face logistical and diplomatic challenges.
The heavy option would deploy an aircraft carrier group and long-range strike assets, but officials said such a move is not currently a US national security priority.
Military officials said US forces are unlikely to end the West African country’s decades-long insurgency and would have a limited impact without an Iraq- or Afghanistan-style campaign, which they say is not seriously being considered.
“It would be a fiasco,” retired Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton said, adding that neither the public nor President Trump, beyond social media posts, appears interested in a large-scale ground war in Nigeria, and any US airstrikes would likely cause little more than shock, which he likened to “pounding a pillow.”
According to the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), there have been 1,923 attacks on civilian targets in Nigeria this year, with only 50 directly linked to Christian identity.
