The U.S. military has submitted contingency plans for potential strikes on Nigeria, following a directive from President Donald Trump to prepare for possible action over what the report describes as a “false claim of Christian genocide.”
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the U.S. Africa Command drew up and sent its operational options to the Department of War this week, acting upon the request of Secretary Pete Hegseth.
According to the report, the contingency plan from the African Command included three distinct military options: heavy, medium, and light.
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These were designed to allow for a controlled escalation of force.
Military officials disclosed to The New York Times that the three options detail the following:
- The “heavy option” is described as the “most forceful military response” the U.S. could take against Nigeria. It involves sending an aircraft carrier group to the Gulf of Guinea, off the Nigerian coast, and using fighter jets or long-range bombers to strike targets “deep inside northern Nigeria.”
- The medium option suggested using drone strikes against militant camps, bases, convoys, and vehicles in northern Nigeria. The report noted that U.S. Predator and Reaper drones have the capacity to “loiter for hours before striking,” while other U.S. intelligence assets would be used to build up targets’ patterns of life to enable “precise, timely strikes.”
- The light option would focus on “partner-enabled operations,” with the U.S. military and State Department supporting Nigerian government forces to target Boko Haram and other Islamist insurgents responsible for attacks, kidnappings, and killings of civilians.
Military officials emphasized that the primary goals of the overall plan are to “strike Islamist militants in northern Nigeria, protect Christians from armed violence and to end the decades-long insurgency in the country.”
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