The US Secretary of War, Pete Hegeseth, has claimed that America’s military operation in Nigeria is based on President Donald Trump’s order to protect Nigerian Christians targeted by ISIS terrorists—a continued attempt to mischaracterise the security crisis in the country as Christian genocide.
Mr Hegeseth said the directive led to the killing of the Islamic State commander, Abubakar Mainok, also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, who operated in the North-east region where attacks are carried out indiscriminately, with Muslims being the most affected group.
He also stated that over 100 other ISIS members operating in the North-east have been killed in operations by the US Africa Command, all due to Mr Trump’s “unwavering” commitment to protect Christians.
“He heard the calls that Nigerian Christians were being targeted by ISIS in Nigeria and said, Pete, I want the war department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians,” Mr Hegeseth said during a Press conference at the White House on Wednesday.
Mr Al-Minuki was killed during a joint US-Nigeria operation on Lake Chad island, many miles from the region the US government identified as hotspots of anti-Christian persecution. Last year, at the height of US antagonism, top US officials, including Riley Moore, Ted Cruz, and Chris Smith — all Republican lawmakers – alongside Christian lobby groups, framed the violence in the country as an anti-Christian crusade. The campaign repeatedly identified the North-central, particularly Benue and Plateau states, as the epicentre of the religious violence.
