Terrorists will face consequences for attacking Christians, says Trump

 

United States’ President Donald Trump has warned that terrorists “know what is coming” if they target Christians, stressing his tough posture against groups accused of attacking Christian communities in Nigeria and indicating that the United States could take strong action if the violence persists.

He made the remarks on Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC.

“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 added.

Trump’s comments come as Nigeria’s security situation continues to draw global attention, following recent assertions by Trump and some U.S. lawmakers that Christians in the country are facing widespread attacks.

Recall that Trump designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged attacks on Christians, a decision criticised by the Nigerian government, which described the claims as inaccurate and detrimental to national unity.

During his address, Trump spoke on several global security challenges and outlined how his administration was confronting extremist groups.

He stated that the U.S. military under his leadership had “knocked out” the Islamic State (ISIS) in Nigeria due to its attacks on Christians.

Trump said he was already defeating ISIS when he first assumed office, but alleged that the group regained strength during the four years he was out of power.

He also blamed ISIS for the killing of Christians in Nigeria.

“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 said.

Trump added that ISIS would not be permitted to continue killing Christians and warned that he would respond strongly if such attacks persisted.