Overview
- Trump posted on Thuth Social that he directed the Pentagon to prepare for potential operations in Nigeria and warned of an immediate halt to all U.S. assistance if killings of Christians continue.
- He said the United States might enter Nigeria ready to use force to destroy Islamist terrorists he blames for the violence.
- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu publicly disputed the U.S. characterization and said tolerance and freedom of worship are fundamental to Nigeria's identity.
- No military operation has been announced, with developments currently limited to public statements and initial planning.
- The clash comes against a backdrop of ongoing attacks by armed groups including Boko Haram in a country with a large Christian and Muslim population, and follows the U.S. placing Nigeria on a religious-freedom concern list in 2020 and removing it in 2023.