United States President, Donald Trump, has said Muslims are also being killed in Nigeria but insisted that Christians are the main targets, as he warned of possible further U.S. military strikes if violence against Christians continues.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with the New York Times published on the newspaper’s website on Thursday.
He spoke while responding to questions about a U.S. military strike carried out on Christmas Day in Nigeria. At the time, the U.S. military said it conducted the strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government.
Nigerian authorities described the strike as a “joint operation” aimed at “terrorists” and said it had “nothing to do with a particular religion.”
“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.
When asked about comments by his Africa adviser that Islamic State and Boko Haram militants were killing more Muslims than Christians, Trump responded: “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.”
In late October, Trump began warning that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened U.S. military intervention over what he described as the Nigerian government’s failure to protect Christian communities.
Nigerian authorities described the strike as a “joint operation” aimed at “terrorists” and said it had “nothing to do with a particular religion.”
“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.
When asked about comments by his Africa adviser that Islamic State and Boko Haram militants were killing more Muslims than Christians, Trump responded: “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.”
In late October, Trump began warning that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened U.S. military intervention over what he described as the Nigerian government’s failure to protect Christian communities.
