President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could carry out additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks on Christians continue.
Trump issued the warning in an interview with The New York Times, when asked whether the Christmas Day missile strikes against Islamic State targets marked the beginning of a broader military campaign.
“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 US president had earlier threatened to deploy American troops to Nigeria, saying they would go in “guns-a-blazing” to eliminate terrorists he accused of targeting Christians.
However, Nigeria retained control over decision-making surrounding the December operation, according to Ademola Oshodi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol.
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.
Asked about that assessment, Trump said: “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.”
