United States President Donald Trump has acknowledged that Muslims are also being killed in Nigeria but maintained that Christians remain the primary targets of violent attacks, warning that the United States could carry out additional military strikes if such violence persists.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, while responding to questions about a U.S. military strike conducted on Christmas Day in Nigeria.
The U.S. military had said the operation targeted Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria and was carried out at the request of the Nigerian government. Nigerian authorities, however, described the action as a “joint operation” against “terrorists,” stressing that it was not directed at any particular religious group.
“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.”
When asked to respond to comments by his Africa adviser that Islamic State and Boko Haram militants were killing more Muslims than Christians, Trump said: “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.”
In late October, Trump began publicly warning that Christianity faces what he described as an “existential threat” in Nigeria, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to adequately protect Christian communities and threatening U.S. military intervention.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with over 230 million people, is almost evenly divided between Christians, who are predominantly in the south, and Muslims, who are mainly based in the north.
Despite persistent security challenges, including insurgency-related violence, banditry and kidnappings, Nigerian authorities have consistently rejected claims of systematic persecution of Christians. The government has emphasized that insurgent attacks have claimed both Muslim and Christian lives.
While Abuja has expressed willingness to cooperate with Washington in combating militant groups, it has firmly opposed narratives suggesting that violence in the country is directed exclusively at Christians.
