Former United States President Donald Trump has warned that terrorists who attack Christians would face strong retaliation, stating that such groups “know what is coming” whenever they target Christian communities.
Trump made the remark on Thursday during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, where he spoke about global security concerns and the fight against extremist violence.
According to him, his administration would not tolerate attacks on Christians, stressing that perpetrators would be met with a harsh response.
“When Christians come under attack, terrorists know they are going to be attacked violently and viciously by President Trump. I know it is not a nice thing to say, but that is the way it is,” he said.
His comments come amid renewed international focus on Nigeria’s security challenges, following repeated claims by Trump and some US lawmakers that Christians in Nigeria are facing widespread persecution and violent attacks.
Trump had earlier labelled Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over alleged violence against Christians, a declaration that drew criticism from the Nigerian government, which rejected the allegations as misleading and capable of threatening national unity.
Speaking further at the event, Trump claimed that the United States military under his leadership had dealt a major blow to the Islamic State group (ISIS) in Nigeria, alleging that the extremist organisation was responsible for killing Christians.
He said ISIS was already being defeated when he first assumed office but claimed the group regained strength during the four years he was out of office.
“When I was out of office for four years, ISIS rebuilt again. We had a bit of ISIS again, but we knocked the hell out of them the other day in Nigeria because they were killing Christians,” Trump stated.
Trump added that the group would not be allowed to continue such attacks, warning that any further killings of Christians would attract a tough reaction from his administration.
