U.S. President Donald Trump has said Washington could carry out additional military strikes in Nigeria if violence against Christians persists, raising concerns about a potential expansion of U.S. involvement in the country.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times while responding to questions about missile strikes carried out on Christmas Day against Islamic State militants.
The operation followed earlier statements by the U.S. president in which he threatened military action against groups he accused of attacking Christians in Nigeria, amid claims by some American politicians that Christians were being systematically targeted.
However, the Nigerian government played down the development, with Ademola Oshodi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, describing the strike as an isolated incident rather than the beginning of a sustained campaign.
Despite this, Trump indicated that further action remained possible. “I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” he said. “But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
Nigeria has consistently rejected allegations that Christians are being deliberately targeted. In October, Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, noted that extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State were responsible for more Muslim deaths than Christian ones in the country.
When asked about that assessment, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims of violence in Nigeria but maintained that Christians were disproportionately affected.
Following the Christmas Day strikes, flight-tracking data showed a resumption of U.S. intelligence and surveillance operations in Nigeria, suggesting heightened security engagement in the region.
