WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Welcome to the "News Hour."

President Trump said today that he# delayed American military strike.. in northwest Nigeria until Christmas Day# to deliver a message to groups he alleges## are targeting Christians in that country.# Meanwhile, the Nigerian government praised## the attacks and said it provided the# U.S.

with the necessary intelligence.

Nick Schifrin is here with the details -- Nick.

NICK SCHIFRIN: William, the area that# the U.S.

bombed in Nigeria is near the## border of neighboring Niger and a part# of Western Africa that suffered from## cross-border terrorism.

Northern Nigeria# has suffered from violence for years.

And while the president describes this# as focus on protecting Christians,## the violence in Nigeria and the groups# committing it are far more complex.

In the Gulf of Guinea, a Tomahawk missile flies to# an area never before struck by the U.S.

military,## Northwest Nigeria, where locals picked# up debris as nearby flames kept burning.

By day, the grass was scorched and police# cordoned off an impact site.

This missile,## at least in this remote rural# area, apparently killed no one.

NUHU UMAR JAGO, Nigerian Resident: There# was no loss of life and no loss of property.

NICK SCHIFRIN: A U.S.

military official tells# "PBS News Hour" a ship off Nigeria's coast## fired more than a dozen Tomahawks at two ISIS# training camps.

Local security analysts say the## missiles hit in at least four locations,# all in Nigeria's northwest Sokoto state.

The area has been plagued by a group known as# Lakurawa that claims affiliation with ISIS Sahel## and exploits poor local governance and access to# terrorist groups that operate in Niger and Mali.## Nigeria declared them a terrorist organization,# but locals say they're connected to bandits and## criminals, who've intimidated local residents,# most of whom are Muslim, preaching radicalization,## kidnapping hundreds of girls and young boys in# an attempt to control and exploit the population.

YUSUF TUGGAR, Nigerian Foreign# Minister: This is what we have## always been hoping for, to# work with th.. NICK SCHIFRIN: Today, Nigerian Foreign# Minister Yusuf Tuggar told Channel TV## that Nigeria provided the U.S.

intelligence.

YUSUF TUGGAR: It is a joint operation# and it is not targeting any religion.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But, last night, President Trump# wrote that the targets were -- quote -- "ISIS## terrorist scum in Northwest Nigeria who# have been targeting and viciously killing## primarily innocent Christians at levels not# seen for many years and even centuries."

And today, he told Politico the strike was# supposed to take place on Christmas Eve,## but he said: "Nope, let's# give a Christmas present."

NINA SHEA, Center for Religious Freedom Director,# Hudson Institute: The government doesn't help the## Christians.

They're not protecting them.# They're not protecting their villages.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Nina Shea directs the# Hudson Institute's Center of Religious## Freedom.

She and 30 other advocates,# Christian organizations and think tanks## wrote a letter in October to President# Trump saying the Nigerian government## "demonstrably tolerates relentless aggression# uniquely against Christian farming families."

NINA SHEA: Local Christian leaders# are telling us that they are## trying to cleanse the land of Christians, that# they are establishing the land for Islamic rule.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In reality, Nigerian# violence is more complex.

For years,## Islamist terrorists have plagued Northern and# Northeast Nigeria.

The best known is Boko Haram.## They have targeted the Nigerian military and# violently opposed female education.

It's bombed## mosques.

Boko Haram also targeted Christians,# as I saw in 2015 in the eastern city of Mubi.

Outside the nearby Church of the Brethren,# the damage is everywhere.

Inside,## high above the podium, the fire set by Boko# Haram almost erased the cross from the wall.

ELIA USMAN, Church of the Brethren: When these# people landed in Mubi, they will ask you,## are you a Christian or a Muslim?

When you# say you're a Christian, they will shoot you.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But that's the northeast, far# from today's target.

And then there's the map.## Most Nigerian Muslims live in the north.

Most# Christians live in the south, and in the middle,## the two groups overlap, as do tribes,# farmers and herders, who can clash violently.

For decades, nomadic herders, almost all# of whom are Muslim, have fought farmers,## most of whom are Christian, over# land disputes and scarce resources.## The independent conflict monitor# ACLED tells "PBS News Hour" last## year's data show a rise in Christian# fatalities, mostly in Central Nigeria,## but the vast majority of the incidents were over# land disputes, not targeting because of religion.

YUSUF TUGGAR: You can see how all these things# are interconnected.

So when you try to reduce it,## you just say, oh, no, it's Muslims# killing Christians in Nigeria,## you see how you can get it completely wrong.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And for more perspective on# the U.S.

strike against targets in Nigeria,## we turn to former Ambassador Peter Pham.

He# was U.S.

special envoy for the Sahel region## during the first Trump administration.# He's now a distinguished fellow at the## Atlantic Council and sits on the boards of a# number of companies doing business in Africa.

Ambassador, thanks very much.# Welcome back to the "News Hour."

J. PETER PHAM, Atlantic Council:# Good to be with you, Nick.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Explain who is being# target.. is a group called Lakurawa connected to# terrorists in the Sahel in Western Africa,## but also criminals known as bandits in Nigeria.

J. PETER PHAM: Well, the group that was# referred to in the piece, Nick, Lakurawa,## is a good example, almost a classic one# of the cure being worse than the disease.

They originally originated as# self-defense groups in an area## where the Nigerian government and some of# the neighboring countries were unable to## provide protection for local communities.

So# they set up their own self-defense groups.

Unfortunately, over the years, these# groups, their ambitions grew.

And in## the case of Lakurawa, in Sokoto state# and some of the neighboring states,## as well as in Mali and Niger, they have# grown to establish dominion over areas of## territory where the government is -- quite# frankly, it doesn't run and is excluded.

And they have been increasingly imposing upon# the people they were -- started to protect a## harsh vision of Islam and a hard-line vision,# and increasingly kidnapping young people to## fill up their ranks.

So they have become, in# effect, the disease they were there to fight.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And I don't want to conflate# these groups.

The analysts I speak to says## it's not Lakurawa, it's not these bandits# in the northwest who are traditionally## killing Christians.

We see that more in the# northeast and the central area of Nigeria.

J. PETER PHAM: That's very much where# the conflicts between farmer-herders,## between Muslims or those motivated or agitated by## extremist interpretations of Islam# and Christians have occurred.

So I'm not privy to -- I'm a former government# official.

I'm not privy to any current## intelligence on this.

So I can't speak to why the# targeting occurred in Sokoto.

Certainly, it's a## mystery to me.

There are a couple other places I# would have picked to hit extremists in Nigeria.

NICK SCHIFRIN: So let's drill into that.

What impact, if any, could this have,## this strike in Northwest Nigeria,# on violence against Christians?

J. PETER PHAM: As far as I'm aware# of, a very limited impact.

What does## do is send a signal that the U.S.# is willing to act in this area.

But what concerns me is the fact that# all the reporting I have seen on this## has emphasized -- including Nigerian# Foreign Minister Tuggar's statements,## this was coordinated with the Nigerian# government.

And I agree with my friend Nina Shea.

Part of the problem here is actually not# all parts of the Nigerian government,## but certain parts of the# Nigerian government are suspect.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Well, we have also seen# inability by the Nigerian government,## as you were referencing before, to# govern some of these spaces, whether## the northwest, the northeast or some of these# farmer-herder conflicts in the Central Plains.

I mean, how much of this is about# -- how much of the root causes is## about the government not being able# to have governance in these areas?

J. PETER PHAM: Yes it's a matter of,# where does something start and where## something end?

There's certainly# an incapacity or lack of capacity,## but there's also a lack of political will# to put the resources necessary to that.

And in some cases -- one has to# be brutally honest here.

There's## also certain politicians in Nigeria have# their own agendas and their own political## alliances with extremists.

And you sort# of get a mixture of all that.

It's a very## complex situation that doesn't give# -- lend itself to easy solutions.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Absolutely.

And so in that sense, .. or not, that could actually help protect Nigerian# Christians, could get at this lack of governance?

J. PETER PHAM: Well, first, I think# calling attention to it is very,## very important.

Calling it out has# forced the Nigerian government to## take stock of what it is and is not# doing.

So that in itself is effective.

Secondly, I would say that important also in# this is also to be -- is operational security.## Again, I'm not privy to current planning,# but I certainly, if I were still in there,## I'd be very, very hesitant at sharing# and coordinating if -- what the Nigerians## are claiming is was happening with this# coordination, I'd be very suspect about that.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And the Nigerian government,# as we heard the foreign minister say,## this violence is not about# any particular religion, and,## in fact, the majority of victims# of violence in Nigeria are Muslim.

But we heard President Trump# say this is about protecting## Christians.

So in the time we# have left, about 30 seconds,## do we know anything about why those two# narratives are so different right now?

J. PETER PHAM: I think a lot of# it has to do with it's a matter## of perspective.

Both Muslims and# Christians are suffering because of## this violence.

And where the political will# is in this in Nigeria is the real question.

Is there political will to address# the challenges to both communities,## and is there a double agenda# on the part of certain people?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Well, but, again, on the# political will, it seems like so far,## in the past, at least, the Nigerian government# has struggled with that political will.

J. PETER PHAM: Very much so,# both in will and in resources.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Ambassador Peter# Pham, thank you very much.

J. PETER PHAM: Thank you.