United States President Donald Trump has declared that there will be another U.S. strike in Nigeria if violence against Christian communities persists in the West African nation.
The statement comes just weeks after U.S forces launched a strike in the northwestern part of Nigeria on Christmas Day 2025, targeting Islamic State-linked militants.
Following the attack, there has been little information about the next line of action.
Giving an update on the development, Trump during an interview with The New York Times, said the U.S is watching the situation in Nigeria to determine its military action.
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” he said, referring to the December 25 operation. “But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
He warned that his government will not look the other way while Nigerian Christians are being killed because of their faith.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Nigeria has been facing increased international scrutiny over Christian genocide.
The scrutiny intensified after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over religious freedom violations.
In late October 2025, Trump also warned of a potential U.S military strike in Nigeria if the government failed to halt violence against Christian communities.
However, the Nigerian government has consistently rejected claims of systematic religious persecution, insisting that security operations target terrorists regardless of faith.
Following weeks of rhetoric, the U.S launched airstrikes on terrorist targets in Sokoto State.
The Christmas Day strike, which involved Tomahawk missiles launched from a U.S. Navy vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, hit Islamic State (ISIS) camps in Sokoto State.
The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) described the operation as coordinated with Nigerian authorities, resulting in multiple militant casualties.
Trump framed the attack as a direct response to what he has long described as an “existential threat” to Christianity in Nigeria, accusing Islamist groups of primarily targeting innocent Christians.
He said after the attack: “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper.
“May God bless our military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
After the strikes, flight tracking data showed that the U.S resumed intelligence and surveillance operations in Nigeria.
