According to the U.S. president, the military operation had forced the terrorists to retreat for fear of more devastating attacks.
The United States President, Donald Trump, has said recent American military strikes in Nigeria significantly curtailed the mass killing of Christians by terrorist groups, declaring that his administration would continue using military force to protect religious communities around the world.
Speaking during a live event monitored by SaharaReporters on Saturday, Trump said the United States had dealt devastating blows to terrorist groups responsible for attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria, including killing their top commanders.
“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” Trump said.
He claimed that thousands of Christians, including women, children and elderly people, had been killed before the military operation.
“They have a great Christian population that were being butchered. Butchered. Thousands and thousands who were being killed — children, women, old people just being slaughtered, hacked to death,” he stated.
According to the U.S. president, the military operation had forced the terrorists to retreat for fear of more devastating attacks.
“They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater and they don’t want to really get involved anymore so much,” Trump claimed, adding that the U.S. military eliminated the leadership of the group during the operation.
“You know, we hit them very hard. We knocked out their leader, we knocked out their second leader, and their third leader,” he said.
Trump compared the operation to recent U.S. military actions against Iran, saying Washington remained prepared to use overwhelming force against threats it considered significant.
“Sounds a little bit like Iran actually. That’s all about the different cause we have to do because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let it happen,” he said.
The president maintained that protecting Christians from terrorist violence formed part of his broader foreign policy agenda.
“So I’m saving Christians throughout the world even though we are not in those various countries where you read about,” Trump said.
He argued that militant ideologies responsible for attacks overseas could eventually threaten the United States if left unchecked.
“They would like to make our country just like those countries. That’s where they started. They started it right where we are right now,” he said.
Trump said his administration would continue pursuing terrorist leaders wherever they operate.
“I’m saving them by hitting these terrorists very violently and very hard. We are hitting them very hard by the greatest weapons on earth, taking them out. We know where they are and we hunt them down and we take them out,” he stated.
Describing attacks frequently carried out by armed groups against rural communities, Trump said, “Think of that, they go into a village and just kill everybody. It’s crazy.”
He also linked the fight against terrorism to broader concerns about religious freedom, alleging that extremist ideologies sought to eliminate religion.
“They will close your churches in this country. They go Communist and they’re trying to. They will kill your people. And that’s what they’re about. They want to end religion,” he added.
Although Trump referred to recent U.S. strikes in Nigeria, he did not specify the locations of the operations or identify the terrorist group targeted.
SaharaReporters had reported on Friday that the United States has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening security cooperation with Nigeria, pledging continued collaboration in military strategy, operational planning and other areas of defence cooperation to support the country’s fight against terrorism and insurgency.
The assurance was given by the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA), Major General Claude Tudor, during a visit to the Headquarters of the Theatre Command, Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), at the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri on Thursday.
According to military authorities, the visit was aimed at strengthening the existing security cooperation and strategic partnership between Nigeria and the United States.
