Nigeria, Jan. 6 -- The attacks through cruise missiles launched from US navy vessels in the Gulf of Guinea at North-West Nigeria on Christmas Day surprised Nigerians, in what at first looked like a unilateral decision. US secretaries of War and State, Peter Hegseth and March Rubio, later clarified that this was a joint US-Nigeria effort. A carefully worded Nigerian Foreign Ministry statement followed the strikes hours later, saying the action was "in line with international practice and bilateral understandings."

The strike follows weeks of concern expressed by the Trump administration about alleged attacks on Christians by Islamic extremists. But Nigerians well know that Islamic extremists have preyed on Muslim communities as much, if n...