Former US President Donald Trump warns of additional military action in Nigeria amid ongoing attacks on Christians.
US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could conduct additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks on Christians continue.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times, following Christmas Day missile strikes against the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Nigeria.
“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.”
Rising Tensions Over Religious Violence
The Christmas Day strikes came about a month after Trump threatened to send US troops into Nigeria, to target groups allegedly killing Christians.
Some US politicians have claimed that Christians are facing genocide in the country, although the Nigerian government has rejected these claims.
Trump acknowledged that Muslims are also being killed by Boko Haram and IS-affiliated groups, but insisted that Christians remain the primary victims.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he told the NYT.
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Meanwhile, Ademola Oshodi, senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on foreign affairs and protocol, noted that Nigeria retained decision-making authority over the one-off strike.
Following the strikes, flight tracking data indicated that the US resumed intelligence and surveillance operations over Nigerian territory.
The warning raises concerns over the future of US military involvement in Nigeria, and the potential diplomatic fallout as both countries navigate the sensitive issue of religious violence and counterterrorism operations.
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