‘It will be many’ – Trump vows fresh, powerful US strikes in Nigeria

Donald Trump has threatened to unleash further US military strikes in Nigeria if attacks on Christians continue, warning that Washington will not hesitate to act again.

The US President issued the stark warning during an interview with The New York Times, saying the Christmas Day missile strikes against Islamic State-linked targets in Nigeria may not be a one-off.

“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.”

The remarks come just weeks after the United States carried out targeted missile attacks on terror positions in Nigeria, an operation that followed mounting pressure from American politicians accusing extremist groups of persecuting Christians in the country.

Trump had earlier threatened to deploy US troops to Nigeria, vowing they would go in “guns-a-blazing” to wipe out terrorists he claimed were killing “our cherished Christians”.

However, Nigerian officials insist the US operation was limited and conducted with Nigeria retaining control over key decisions.

Despite that assurance, Trump doubled down in his NYT interview, making clear that further attacks remain on the table if violence continues.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims that Christians are being deliberately targeted, insisting the country’s security crisis affects all communities.

In October, Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, said extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS were killing more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria.

When challenged on that assessment, Trump acknowledged Muslim casualties but maintained that Christians were bearing the brunt of the violence.

“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria,” he said. “But it’s mostly Christians.”