By Wellington Jopelo
United States President Donald Trump has warned that the US may carry out further military strikes in Nigeria if violence against Christians continues.
Trump made the remark in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, where he was asked whether the US airstrike carried out on December 25 against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria marked the beginning of a wider 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 Christmas Day operation, which Washington said targeted Islamic State affiliates at the request of the Nigerian government, drew international attention due to its timing and implications for US involvement in Nigeria’s security challenges.
Trump described the strike as a response to what he characterised as repeated killings of Christians by extremist groups in Nigeria, a position that has sparked debate over the framing of the country’s security crisis.
When confronted with comments from his senior Africa adviser that groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram have killed more Muslims than Christians, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims of the violence.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has rejected claims that there is a genocide against Christians in the country, stressing that armed groups operate with mixed motives and have killed both Muslims and Christians, particularly in the northern region.
Nigerian authorities have reiterated their commitment to counter-terrorism cooperation with international partners while maintaining that violence against any community, regardless of religion, is unacceptable.