United States President Donald Trump has claimed that the US military played a major role in ending the killing of Christians in Nigeria through operations targeting violent extremist groups, Peak Newspaper reports.
He made the statement on Friday while speaking at an event in Washington, where he highlighted his administration’s counterterrorism efforts in different parts of the world.
According to Trump, the alleged American intervention significantly reduced attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria, particularly in areas affected by insurgency. He described the situation before the operation as severe, saying thousands of men, women and children had been killed in brutal attacks.
“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” Trump said. He further claimed that the military action dealt a heavy blow to those responsible for the violence.
The US President also stated that the operation eliminated the group’s top leadership, including its first, second and third commanders. According to him, the action weakened the extremists’ ability to continue carrying out attacks.
“They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater. We hit them very hard. We knocked out their leader, their second leader and their third leader,” Trump said while addressing the audience.
Trump’s remarks have drawn attention because they suggest direct US military involvement in Nigeria, although he did not provide specific details about the operation, including when it took place or the groups involved.
Nigerian authorities had not immediately responded to the claims at the time of this report.
