United States President Donald Trump has warned that Washington may carry out additional military strikes in Nigeria if killings linked to extremist groups persist, particularly against Christians.
Trump issued the warning in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, where he was asked whether the December 25 US military strike against Islamic State-linked militants in northwest Nigeria marked the beginning of a broader campaign.
According to him, while he would have preferred the Christmas Day operation to be a one-off action, continued violence could force the United States to strike again. “I’d love to make it a one-time strike, but if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” Trump said.
The December 25 strike, which the United States said was carried out at the request of the Nigerian government, attracted international attention both for its timing and for Washington’s justification that it was aimed at weakening extremist groups operating in the country.
Trump described the operation as a response to repeated attacks on Christian communities, a position that has reignited debate over the nature of Nigeria’s security crisis and the motivations behind foreign military involvement.
When confronted with comments credited to his senior Africa adviser that insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province had killed more Muslims than Christians, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims of the violence.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
The Federal Government, however, has consistently rejected claims that Christians are being targeted for genocide, maintaining that armed groups in the country act with mixed motives and have killed both Muslims and Christians, particularly in the conflict-hit northern regions.
Nigerian authorities have stressed their commitment to working with international partners to combat terrorism, while reiterating that violence against any group, irrespective of religion, remains unacceptable.