Trump warns of further strikes in Nigeria over attacks on christians
President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could carry out additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks on Christians continue, following recent US missile strikes against Islamic State targets.
Trump issued the warning in an interview with The New York Times, when asked whether the Christmas Day strikes marked the beginning of a broader military campaign. He said further action remained possible if the killings persisted. “I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” Trump said. “But if they continue to kill Christians it will be a many-time strike.”
The Christmas Day strikes came about a month after Trump threatened to deploy US troops to Nigeria, vowing to move in “guns-a-blazing” to eliminate terrorists allegedly targeting Christians. Some US politicians have repeatedly claimed that Christians are facing genocide in Nigeria.
Nigeria, however, said it retained control over decision-making related to the operation. According to Ademola Oshodi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, the country maintained oversight of the single military action carried out.
The Nigerian government has consistently rejected claims that Christians are being deliberately targeted for killing. In October, Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, said extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS had killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria.
Responding to his adviser’s remarks during the interview, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims of violence in Nigeria but insisted that Christians were the primary targets. “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria,” he said. “But it’s mostly Christians.”
