US President Donald Trump has claimed that missile strikes recently authorized by his administration in Nigeria helped stop attacks on Christian communities and weakened terrorist groups operating in the country.
Speaking at an event in Washington on Friday, Trump said the military operation significantly reduced the killings of Christians, whom he alleged had been targeted in large numbers.
“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” he said.
Trump alleged that thousands of Christians, including women, children, and the elderly, had been killed before the strikes.
“They have a great Christian population. They were being butchered… Thousands and thousands of people were being killed, children, women, and old people, just being slaughtered and hacked to death,” he said.
The US president claimed the operation also eliminated key terrorist leaders and discouraged further attacks.
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“They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater,” he said.
“We hit them very hard. We knocked out their leader. We knocked out their second leader and their third leader.”
Drawing a comparison with the United States’ policy towards Iran, Trump said both actions were aimed at preventing greater security threats.
“It sounds a little bit like Iran, actually… because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let it happen,” he said.
Trump also said his administration remained committed to protecting Christians worldwide through military action against terrorist groups.
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