United States President Donald Trump has warned that further American military strikes could be carried out in Nigeria if attacks on Christians continue.
Trump made the statement during an interview with The New York Times, where he was asked whether the Christmas Day missile strikes against Islamic State-linked militants marked the beginning of a broader military campaign in the country.
The strikes followed earlier remarks by Trump, made about a month earlier, in which he threatened to deploy US forces to Nigeria, saying they would move in aggressively to eliminate terrorists allegedly targeting Christians. His comments came amid repeated claims by some American politicians that Christians were facing genocide in Nigeria.
Nigerian authorities, however, have insisted that the decision to carry out the Christmas Day operation was taken under Nigeria’s control. According to Ademola Oshodi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, the Nigerian government maintained oversight of the single strike.
Despite that, Trump suggested that further military action could follow. Speaking in the NYT interview published on Thursday, he said the United States hoped the operation would not need to be repeated but left the door open to more strikes.
“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 Nigerian government has consistently rejected claims that Christians are being deliberately singled out for attacks, maintaining that violence in the country affects people of different faiths.
In October, Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, said extremist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State affiliates had killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria.
When asked to respond to his adviser’s assessment, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims of violence but insisted that Christians bore the brunt of the attacks.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria,” he said. “But it’s mostly Christians.”
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