Trump warns of potential additional U.S. military strikes
Trump warns of potential additional U.S. military strikes
President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning that the United States is prepared to conduct additional military strikes in Nigeria if the targeted killing of Christians continues.
Speaking in an interview with the New York Times published on January 8, 2026, the President stated, “I’d love to make it a one-time strike… But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.” This rhetoric signals a more interventionist stance, following through on threats made in late 2025 when he redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to severe violations of religious freedom.
The warning follows a high-profile U.S. airstrike on Christmas Day 2025, which targeted Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Nigeria’s northwest Sokoto State.
President Trump hailed the operation as a “powerful and deadly” success, describing it as a “Christmas present” to those persecuting religious minorities.
While U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the Nigerian government described the mission as a joint counter-terrorism operation, the Trump administration has explicitly linked the military action to the protection of the Christian population, whom the President claims face an “existential threat.”
The Nigerian government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has pushed back against the religious framing of the conflict, maintaining that the country is religiously tolerant and that the insurgency affects citizens of all faiths.
Nigerian officials emphasized that the December strikes were part of a collaborative effort to neutralize “terrorist scum” and insisted that any U.S. assistance must respect Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
Despite this, security analysts remain concerned that framing the counter-terrorism effort in religious terms could exacerbate local tensions in a nation roughly divided between a Muslim-majority north and a Christian-majority south.
Looking ahead, the Trump administration is expected to increase pressure through both military and economic channels.
Representative Riley Moore (R-WV), who recently led a House investigation into the “massacre of Christians,” is scheduled to present a report to the President this month containing 30 “concrete ways” to address the crisis.
These recommendations may include targeted visa bans on complicit officials, the withdrawal of non-humanitarian aid, and further kinetic military actions if the administration determines that the Nigerian government is failing to provide adequate protection for Christian communities.
