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Ground Operation, Air Strikes Could Be Part of US Attack in Nigeria – Trump
The United States President Donald Trump has hinted that ground operations or air strikes could be part of a potential US military action in Nigeria, citing what he described as “mass killings of Christians” in the country.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump was asked whether the United States was considering deploying troops or launching air strikes in Nigeria.
“Could be, I mean, a lot of things I envisage a lot of things,” Trump said. “They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.”
The remarks follow an explosive post on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Saturday, where he revealed that he had instructed the Pentagon to draw up a possible plan of attack in Nigeria.
“If Nigeria does not stem the killings, the United States will attack and it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” Trump wrote.
Nigeria Responds: ‘We Are US Partners Against Terrorism’
Reacting to Trump’s statements, Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, told AFP on Sunday that Nigeria remains a “partner of the United States in the global fight against terrorism.”
“Nigeria welcomes US support to fight terrorism as long as it respects our territorial integrity,” Bwala said.
He downplayed Trump’s threats, saying: “We do not see the post in the literal sense. We know that Donald Trump has his own style of communication.”
Bwala suggested that Trump’s comments might be a way to pressure both leaders into a diplomatic meeting, noting that discussions between Tinubu and Trump could take place “in the coming days, either at the State House or the White House.”
Background
Trump’s renewed warning came after he redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)”, citing alleged persecution of Christians. In a separate post on Friday, he claimed that “thousands of Christians are being killed and Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
However, the Nigerian government has rejected these allegations, insisting that violence in the country affects all faiths and communities, not only Christians.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” President Tinubu wrote on social media on Saturday.
As tensions rise, both nations appear to be weighing the implications of Trump’s comments whether they represent a diplomatic maneuver or a real threat of military action remains to be seen.
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