United States President Donald Trump has said there would be multiple military strikes in Nigeria if violence against Christians did not stop.
Trump, who stated this in an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, said the December 25 strikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria marked the start of a broader campaign.
He said “I’d love to make it a one-time strike… but if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike” which Washington said was targeting Islamic State affiliates at the request of the Nigerian government, drawing global resentment when it was carried out on Christmas Day.
Trump said it as a response to what he said was repeated killings of Christians by extremist groups in Nigeria, a remark that has elicited debate over the motivations behind the intervention.
Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims of insurgents in Nigeria, but said “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
