Do Donald Trump’s strikes in Nigeria serve any purpose? | News from armed groups

“More things to come” are the words of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after his country carried out a wave of airstrikes against ISIL (ISIS) in northwest Nigeria.

Hegseth said the goal was to stop the group’s killing of what he called “innocent Christians.”

Last November, President Donald Trump warned that the United States would take action against the group if the Nigerian government continued to allow what it claims was the targeting of Christians.

Many say Trump was pressured by his right-wing Christian base in the United States to carry out the recent attacks in Nigeria. But what could be the consequences for this African country with a very complex religious composition?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Malik Samuel – Senior Researcher at Good Governance Africa

Ebenezer Obadare – Senior Fellow for African Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations

David Otto – Deputy Director of Counterterrorism Training at the International Counterterrorism Academy