The United States military has reportedly drawn up contingency plans for potential airstrikes in Nigeria, The New York Times has said. This comes after President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to “prepare to intervene” to protect Christians from terrorist attacks.
The report, published hours ago, stated that the U.S. Africa Command are already working on several operational options to the Department of War, as a response to a request from Secretary Pete Hegseth to develop plans aligned with Trump’s directive.
Military officials close to the operation told The New York Times that the proposals – categorised as “heavy,” “medium,” and “light” – outlined different levels of engagement being considered to address insecurity in Nigeria.
The “heavy” option requires the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf of Guinea, backed by fighter jets or long-range bombers to hit militant targets deep inside Northern Nigeria.
The “medium” option entails the use of MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drones for targeted strikes on insurgent camps, convoys and vehicles. The report noted that the drones would operate with U.S. intelligence support to guarantee “precise and timely” attacks.
And the “light” option would concentrate on intelligence sharing, logistics support and joint operations with Nigerian forces against Boko Haram and other Islamist groups accused of mass killings, abductions and church attacks.
Despite the ongoing planning, top Pentagon officials reportedly believe that restricted airstrikes or drone operations will not put a stop to Nigeria’s prolonged insurgency unless the U.S. launches a full-scale campaign similar to its operations in Iraq or Afghanistan.
However, nobody in Washington is currently advocating for an identical approach to fix Nigeria’s insecurity problems.
