Former United States President Donald Trump has indicated that the United States might conduct additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks against Christian communities persist.
Trump made the comments in a January interview with The New York Times, following a joint US–Nigeria military operation on Christmas Day that targeted Islamic State-linked militants in northwest Nigeria.
The December 25 airstrikes, described by both Washington and Abuja as coordinated counterterrorism actions against extremist groups in Sokoto State, were framed by Trump as efforts to protect Christians. The Nigerian government has rejected claims that the violence is solely religiously motivated, emphasizing that Islamist insurgents and bandit groups have killed both Muslims and Christians across the country’s long-running security crisis.
Trump reiterated his assertion that Christians have been disproportionately targeted, even while acknowledging that Muslims have also been victims. He warned that further violence against Christian communities could prompt repeated US military action.
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike. But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” Trump said.
The US president acknowledged that Muslims were also victims but insisted that Christians were being targeted disproportionately.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
The Christmas Day strikes were part of wider security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria, but questions remain about their strategic impact and the accuracy of targeting extremist factions. Meanwhile, attacks by militant groups continue to affect civilians in multiple regions, highlighting the complexity of Nigeria’s broader security challenges.
