{"id":123849,"date":"2025-11-18T00:42:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T23:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=123849"},"modified":"2025-11-18T00:42:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T23:42:54","slug":"nigeria-engages-us-amid-threats-military-over-christian-killings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigeria-engages-us-amid-threats-military-over-christian-killings\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria Engages US Amid Threats Military Over Christian Killings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/div>\n
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Nigeria has opened diplomatic discussions with the United States following President Donald Trump\u2019s warnings of possible military intervention over the killing of Christians by jihadist groups, Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said on Monday.<\/div>\n
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Speaking in Abuja during an interview, Tuggar confirmed that both nations are now exploring cooperative approaches to security.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat we are discussing is how we can collaborate to tackle security challenges that are in the interest of the entire planet,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n
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Trump, earlier in November, announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to draw up potential military action plans targeting Africa\u2019s most populous country, claiming radical Islamist groups are \u201ckilling the Christians and killing them in very large numbers.\u201d<\/div>\n
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But the foreign minister downplayed fears of US military strikes, stressing that diplomatic engagement has advanced.<\/div>\n
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Asked whether he believed Washington intended to launch an attack, Tuggar responded: \u201cNo, I do not think so.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBecause we continue to talk, and as I said, the discussion has progressed. It\u2019s moved on from that.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Trump intensified his criticism by saying Christianity faces \u201can existential threat\u201d in Nigeria, and warned that if the killings persist, the United States would intervene and \u201cit will be fast, vicious, and sweet.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Nigeria home to about 230 million people and nearly evenly split between a largely Christian south and a Muslim-majority north, continues to battle multiple security crises, including jihadist insurgencies that have claimed both Christian and Muslim lives indiscriminately.<\/div>\n
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