United States President, Donald Trump, has warned that the United States may carry out additional military strikes in Nigeria if violence against Christian communities continues, raising fresh international debate over foreign military involvement in West Africa.
In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, President Trump spoke about the United States military operation conducted on Thursday, December 25, 2025, against Islamic State-linked militants in northwestern Nigeria. The operation, carried out on Christmas Day, attracted global attention because of its timing and its implications for Nigeria’s internal security challenges.
Responding to a question on whether the December 25 strike was a one-time action or part of a wider campaign, Trump 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.”
The United States government explained that the military action targeted affiliates of the Islamic State group operating in Nigeria, adding that the strike was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has faced years of violence from armed extremist groups, particularly in its northern regions.
Okay News reports that President Trump framed the strike as a response to what he described as repeated killings of Christians by extremist groups in Nigeria, a position that has generated intense debate among security analysts, religious leaders, and international observers.
During the interview, Trump was also asked about remarks previously made by his senior Africa adviser, who stated that groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram had killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria. In response, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims of the violence.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” the United States President said.
Nigeria’s Federal Government has consistently rejected claims that there is a genocide against Christians in the country. Government officials have emphasized that violent groups operating in Nigeria often pursue criminal, political, and ideological objectives and have attacked both Muslim and Christian communities.
The Nigerian authorities have also stressed their continued cooperation with international partners in counter-terrorism efforts, while maintaining that violence against any group, regardless of religious belief, is unacceptable and must be condemned.
