United States President Donald Trump has indicated that the US may carry out further military actions in Nigeria if attacks on Christians continue.
Speaking in an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, Trump was asked whether the December 25 US military strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria was the beginning of a wider campaign. In response, he said, “I’d love to make it a one-time strike… but if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
The Christmas Day operation, which Washington said was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government and targeted Islamic State-linked groups, attracted global attention due to its timing and significance.
Trump described the strike as a reaction to what he portrayed as repeated attacks on Christians by extremist groups in Nigeria, a characterisation that has sparked debate over the motives behind the US intervention.
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When confronted with remarks by his senior Africa adviser suggesting that groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram had killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also affected by the violence.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
The Federal Government, however, has dismissed claims that there is a genocide against Christians in the country, noting that armed groups in the troubled northern regions have targeted both Muslims and Christians for a variety of reasons.
Nigerian authorities have also stressed their collaboration with international partners in combating terrorism, while maintaining that attacks on any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are unacceptable.
