07.11.2025 20:57
It has been claimed that following the instructions given by U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. military has prepared three different plans for military intervention aimed at Christians in Nigeria. It is reported that the U.S. Africa Command has developed a three-tiered intervention plan categorized as "light, medium, and heavy," which has been presented to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.
It has been reported that the U.S. military has prepared three different plans for a possible military intervention following President Donald Trump's directive to "take action against attacks on Christians in Nigeria."
3-STEP INTERVENTION PLAN
According to a report by The New York Times, the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) presented a three-step intervention plan, categorized as "light, medium, and heavy," to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. Trump stated in a post on his social media platform Truth Social over the weekend that if the Nigerian government continues to "tolerate the killing of Christians," Washington would cut all aid and "intervene in the country if necessary."
According to sources, the "light" plan involves U.S. support for the Nigerian army and joint operations. The "medium" plan anticipates airstrikes on militant camps and convoys using drones, while the "heavy" plan includes the deployment of aircraft carrier groups and long-range air assets. However, U.S. officials pointed out the challenges of such an intervention due to the scope of security issues in Nigeria and the lack of bases in the region.
NOTABLE REMARKS FROM RETIRED LIEUTENANT GENERAL
It was expressed that it is unrealistic for the U.S. military to end the decades-long "insurgency" in Nigeria and that a ground operation similar to those in Iraq or Afghanistan is not seriously on the agenda. Retired Lieutenant General Paul D. Eaton stated that a possible military step could lead to disaster, saying, "Neither the public nor President Trump shows interest in a large-scale ground war in Nigeria, aside from social media messages."
The security situation in Nigeria has long been fragile due to terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram and the West African branch of ISIS, ISWAP, as well as armed gangs, ethnic militias, and farmer-herder conflicts.
NOT ONLY CHRISTIANS ARE TARGETED
According to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), there were 1,923 attacks on civilian targets in Nigeria this year, but only 50 of these were directly targeted due to Christian identities. ACLED noted that insurgent groups often present their campaigns as "anti-Christian," but the violence frequently does not discriminate and harms all communities.
TRUMP'S STATEMENTS TARGETING NIGERIA
On October 31, Trump declared Nigeria a "country of particular concern" due to "massacres against Christians" in a post on his Truth Social account, later warning that U.S. aid to Nigeria would be cut and a military attack could occur. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reacted by stating that his country does not tolerate religious oppression, in response to the U.S. including Nigeria on its list of "countries of particular concern."
Tinubu stated, "Nigeria is a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. Since 2023, our government has been maintaining an open and active dialogue with Christian and Muslim leaders, addressing security issues affecting citizens regardless of faith and regional differences." Emphasizing that Nigeria sees religious freedom and tolerance as fundamental elements of its national identity, Tinubu remarked, "Nigeria is against religious oppression and does not promote it. Our country has constitutional guarantees that ensure the rights of citizens belonging to all faith groups."
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) highlighted the increasing terrorist attacks in the region, emphasizing that the claim that terrorist groups only target Christians is not accurate, stating that these groups target innocent civilians of all faiths, including Muslims, Christians, and others in the region.