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By Lawrence Agbo
United States President Donald Trump has claimed that American military airstrikes in Nigeria helped halt the mass killings of Christians by terrorists, saying the operation eliminated key militant leaders and significantly reduced attacks on vulnerable communities.
Trump made the remarks during an event in Washington over the weekend, where he highlighted what he described as his administration’s efforts to protect Christians globally and confront terrorist organisations.
According to the US President, the military operation in Nigeria targeted the leadership of the terrorist group responsible for repeated attacks on Christian populations, sending a strong message that further violence would attract an even stronger response.
“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” Trump said.
“They have a great Christian population. They were being butchered. Thousands and thousands of people were being killed, children, women, old people, just being slaughtered, hacked to death.”
He claimed the strikes weakened the group’s operations by taking out its top commanders.
“They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater and that they don’t want to really get involved anymore so much,” he said.
“You know, we hit them very hard. We knocked out their leader. We knocked out their second leader and their third leader.”
Trump compared the operation in Nigeria to recent US military action against Iran, describing both as necessary measures to tackle major security threats.
“It sounds a little bit like Iran, actually. It’s all about a different cause that we have to do because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let it happen,” he said.
The US President also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to defending Christians around the world, saying military force would continue to be used against terrorist groups targeting religious communities.
“So I’m saving Christians throughout the world, even though we are not in those various countries where you read about this,” Trump stated.
He added that the United States would continue tracking and eliminating terrorist leaders wherever they operate.
“I’m saving them by hitting these terrorists very violently and very hard. We’re hitting them very hard by the greatest weapons on earth, taking them out. We know where they are. We hunt them down, and we take them out,” he said.
Trump also warned about what he described as growing threats to religious freedom, arguing that his administration remains committed to protecting people of faith both at home and abroad.
