US President Donald Trump has claimed that recent missile strikes authorized by his administration in Nigeria helped to halt attacks on Christian communities and crippled terrorist groups operating in the country.
Speaking at a Washington event on Friday, Trump claimed that the military operation has dramatically reduced the number of Christians killed.
“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” he said.
Trump disclosed 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 mentioned that the operation also eliminated key terrorist leaders and discouraged further attacks.
“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.”
Trump compared his actions to the United States’ approach toward Iran, claiming that both were intended to prevent greater security risks.
“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.
“So I’m saving Christians throughout the world… I’m saving them by hitting these terrorists very violently and very hard. We know where they are. We hunt them down, and we take them out,” he said.
He also warned against what he called challenges to religious freedom, saying the US would continue to battle extremist groups wherever they operate.
