United States President Donald Trump has warned that Washington could carry out further military strikes in Nigeria.
He said this would happen if the killing of Christians continues, saying any future action would not be limited to a single operation.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times, published on Thursday, while responding to questions about a US military strike carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day.
“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 US military had earlier confirmed that it conducted air strikes against Daesh militants in north-west Nigeria, describing the operation as one carried out at the request of the Nigerian government.
Nigerian authorities, however, said the strike was a joint operation and rejected any religious framing of the action.
Nigeria’s government maintained that the operation targeted terrorists and “had nothing to do with a particular religion”.
During the interview, Trump was asked about reports indicating that extremist groups in Nigeria kill both Muslims and Christians.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with over 230 million people, is almost evenly divided between Christians, who are largely concentrated in the south, and Muslims, who dominate the north.
The Nigerian government has consistently denied allegations that Christians are subjected to systematic persecution, noting that victims of insurgent violence include both Christians and Muslims.
Authorities have pointed to long-standing security challenges, including attacks and kidnappings by Islamist insurgents and criminal groups, particularly in the northern parts of the country.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, recently stressed that the military action was a collaborative effort between Nigeria and the United States.
“It is an ongoing thing,” Tuggar said during an appearance on Channels Television when asked whether further strikes were expected. He added: “It must be made clear that it is a joint operation, and it is not targeting any religion.”
Trump’s comments come after he publicly described the Christmas Day air strikes as a “Christmas present” to Daesh, suggesting the timing was deliberately symbolic.
The remarks have since drawn attention amid ongoing debate over the nature of insecurity in Nigeria and the role of international partners in addressing the country’s security challenges.
