Sam Brownback to Newsmax: Strikes on Nigerian Targets 'Necessary'

President Donald Trump's order for Christmas Day strikes on extremist targets in Nigeria was necessary, even if you "don't like to see the United States using military force," former ambassador Sam Brownback told Newsmax on Saturday.

"This situation has just gotten so bad for so long for so many throughout Nigeria," Brownback, who served as ambassador at large for international religious freedom during Trump's first administration, said on "America Right Now."

He added that the Nigerian government considered the strikes as a "bit of a lifeline to them."

The air strikes hit ⁠two Islamic State-linked camps in the Bauni forest of Sokoto State while targeting foreign fighters infiltrating from the Sahel, the Nigerian government said Saturday.

The assaults were approved by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

Brownback said Saturday that the extremists were "threatening to topple the Nigerian government."

"That northwest region has been controlled, many of the areas by terrorist organizations, for some period of time," he added, while stressing that the "bigger issue is going to be that middle belt region of Nigeria."

There, he said, are Fulani herdsmen that are attacking Christian villages and creating a challenge that is "generally more difficult politically for the Nigerian government to deal with."

He said Nigerian officials have tried to keep the conflict from being framed as a religious war, but he described religion as central to much of the violence.

"They don't want to see this as a Muslim vs. Christian war and conflict," Brownback said. "But in many respects it is. It's not exclusively that, but it is a good portion that."

Brownback said the response must extend beyond airstrikes and include internal changes aimed at protecting vulnerable communities.

"I think you're going to have to deal with structural reforms in Nigeria," he said. "I think you're going to have to make it such that the Christians can protect themselves, particularly in this middle belt region."

He added, "I think you're going to have to have a real war on terrorism in the northern part of Nigeria," and said the United States and others should press Nigeria's leadership "to be balanced, to follow justice."

Brownback pointed to Nigeria's history of informal religious power-sharing as one way to help lower tensions.

"They used to require that the president be of one religion, Muslim or Christian, and the other the vice president of the other," Brownback said.

"They didn't do that this last election cycle, and I think they need to get back to that, to where they get some sort of religious balance," he added.

Brownback warned the danger is not confined to Nigeria, and said parts of Africa are seeing "the beginnings, unfortunately, of a religious war throughout the middle of Africa," driven by "radical Islamic terrorist groups and organizations coming down from the north and attacking generally the Christian middle and southern part of Africa."

He cautioned, "if we don't get on top of this, you're going to see this boil over into many countries in that continent."

He also urged more urgency from Washington on religious freedom policy, including filling key roles.

Brownback called the ambassador-at-large post "a critical appointment that needs to take place" and said the Senate "really needs to get behind this and pass this nominee," referring to Trump's pick, former North Carolina Rep. Mark Walker.

Brownback also pointed to China as a major driver of religious persecution worldwide.

"I think we've really got to confront this on a global basis," Brownback said, as religious freedom must be treated as a "foundation, cornerstone human right."

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