Trump warns of more US strikes in Nigeria over Christian killings

United States President Donald Trump has warned that America could carry out additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks on Christians persist, escalating concerns over foreign intervention and security cooperation with Africa’s most populous nation.

Trump issued the warning during an interview with The New York Times (NYT), when asked whether the Christmas Day missile strikes against the Islamic State (IS) terror group marked the beginning of a wider US military campaign.

The airstrikes came barely a month after Trump threatened to deploy American troops into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to eliminate terrorists allegedly targeting Christians, amid repeated claims by some US politicians that a genocide against Christians was ongoing in the West African country.

Following the strikes, Nigeria’s presidency clarified that the operation was a one-off action, stressing that Abuja retained full control over its security decisions. Ademola Oshodi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, said Nigeria was not ceding its sovereignty to foreign forces.

However, Trump suggested that further action remained possible.

“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” the US president said in the NYT interview published on Thursday.
“But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”

The Nigerian government has consistently rejected allegations of targeted killings of Christians, maintaining that insecurity in the country affects citizens across religious and ethnic lines.

In October, Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and African affairs, stated that extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS had killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria. Asked to respond to his adviser’s position, Trump acknowledged Muslim casualties but insisted Christians were disproportionately affected.

“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria,” Trump said.
“But it’s mostly Christians.”

Meanwhile, flight-tracking data following the Christmas Day strikes indicated that the United States had resumed intelligence and surveillance operations over Nigerian airspace, fuelling speculation about deeper US military involvement in the region.

The development has continued to generate debate within diplomatic and security circles, as Nigeria battles insurgency, banditry and communal violence while seeking to balance international support with national sovereignty.