U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that American military strikes targeting Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria helped prevent large-scale attacks on Christian communities, pledging that Washington would continue pursuing terrorist groups operating in the country.
Speaking at an event in Washington on Friday, Trump defended his administration’s decision to authorize military operations against fighters affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), describing the intervention as a decisive action that disrupted planned attacks and weakened the group’s leadership.
“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” Trump said.
According to the U.S. president, the operations significantly degraded the capabilities of extremist groups responsible for attacks on civilian populations, particularly in areas affected by insurgent violence.
“They were being butchered—thousands and thousands of people were being killed, children, women, old people, just being slaughtered,” he said, adding that the strikes had sent a strong message to militant groups operating in the region.
Trump further claimed that American forces eliminated several senior terrorist commanders during the operations.
“We hit them very hard. We knocked out their leader. We knocked out their second leader and their third leader,” he stated.
The remarks underscore growing security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria as both countries intensify efforts to combat extremist organisations operating across the Lake Chad Basin and parts of northeastern Nigeria.
Trump also reiterated his administration’s commitment to confronting religious persecution and protecting vulnerable communities threatened by terrorist groups.
“I’m saving Christians throughout the world,” he said, while emphasizing that the United States would continue using its military capabilities to target groups responsible for attacks on civilians.
Nigeria has battled insurgency for more than a decade, with groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP carrying out attacks that have resulted in thousands of deaths, mass displacement and widespread humanitarian challenges.
While extremist groups have targeted churches, Christian communities and clergy, security experts and human rights organisations note that Muslim communities have also suffered deadly attacks, kidnappings and displacement as a result of the conflict.
Analysts say Nigeria’s security challenges extend beyond religious violence and include insurgency, banditry, communal conflicts and criminal activities, all of which continue to threaten stability in different parts of the country.
Trump’s comments are likely to draw attention to the expanding role of international security partnerships in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts and may spark further debate over the effectiveness and scope of foreign military support in addressing the country’s complex security challenges.