Trump Claims US Strikes Helped Halt Mass Killings in Nigeria, Vows More Action Against Terrorists

United States President Donald Trump has claimed that recent American military strikes in Nigeria helped prevent mass killings by Islamic State-linked militants, saying the operations significantly weakened terrorist groups targeting civilians.

Speaking at an event in Washington on Friday, Trump defended his administration’s decision to authorise military strikes against fighters affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), saying the operations disrupted planned attacks and eliminated key militant leaders.

“As you know, we recently struck Nigeria and largely ended the slaughter of great Christian populations,” Trump said, adding that thousands of people, including women, children and the elderly, had been at risk of being killed.

He warned that the United States would carry out even stronger military action if the militants resumed large-scale attacks.

“They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater,” he said.

Trump also claimed US forces killed the group’s top three commanders during the operation, comparing the strikes to recent American military actions against Iran.

“We hit them very hard. We knocked out their leader. We knocked out their second leader and their third leader,” he stated.

Reaffirming his administration’s position on religious persecution, the US President said Washington remained committed to protecting vulnerable communities from extremist violence.

“I’m saving Christians throughout the world, even though we are not in those various countries where you read about this,” Trump said.

He added that the United States would continue pursuing terrorist organisations wherever they operate, describing America’s military capabilities as unmatched.

Trump’s remarks come amid growing security cooperation between Washington and Abuja in the fight against terrorism, with the two countries strengthening intelligence-sharing and counterterrorism collaboration against ISWAP and other extremist groups.

Nigeria has battled insurgency for more than a decade, with Boko Haram, ISWAP and other armed groups responsible for thousands of deaths, mass displacement, kidnappings and attacks on communities, particularly in the North-East.

While Trump framed the violence primarily as attacks against Christians, Nigerian authorities and independent security experts have consistently maintained that the conflict has affected both Christian and Muslim communities and is driven by a complex mix of insurgency, banditry, communal tensions and competition over land and resources.

Human rights organisations have documented attacks on churches, mosques, religious leaders and civilians of different faiths, underscoring the broad humanitarian impact of the conflict.