Trump: Boots on the ground, air strikes possible in Nigeria
Donald Trump, US president, says he is not ruling out “air strikes or boots on the ground” as part of his plan to “completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists killing Christians in Nigeria”.
Speaking to correspondents before boarding Air Force One on Sunday, Trump was asked if he envisaged such military actions. He replied, “yes, there could be”.
“They are killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria. It’s also bad in other countries, you know that.
“They are killing Christians in very large numbers. We are not going to allow that to happen,” Trump added.
The statement follows Trump’s recent decision to label Nigeria a “country of particular concern (CPC)” over claims of “Christian genocide”.
He had previously warned the Nigerian government to “better move fast” or he would stop all US aid and unleash the “department of war” in an attack that will be “fast, vicious, and sweet”.
President Bola Tinubu and members of his administration have “repeatedly rejected” the US claims.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.
“Nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” Tinubu responded.
Speaking further, the president emphasized the freedom of religion as a core principle of his administration.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” he added.
On Saturday, Daniel Bwala, special adviser to the president on policy communication, said the Nigerian leader and Trump will meet in the coming days to discuss the allegations.
