"As long as our territorial integrity is recognized, we welcome the United States' assistance."
Reuters reported that on November 2, the spokesperson for the Nigerian presidential office stated that Nigeria would welcome U.S. assistance in combating Islamic insurgents as long as the country's territorial integrity is respected.
Nigeria's presidential assistant Daniel Bwala told Reuters: "As long as the United States recognizes our territorial integrity, we welcome its assistance."
He said: "I believe that when the two leaders meet and discuss, our joint determination to combat terrorism will certainly lead to better results."
On November 1, Nigerian President Tinubu rejected claims of religious intolerance in Nigeria and defended the country's efforts to protect religious freedom.
Nigeria has a population of over 200 million, with the north predominantly Muslim and the south mainly Christian.
In recent years, Nigeria's security situation has been complex and severe, and it was listed as the eighth most affected country by terrorism in the 2023 Global Terrorism Index report. Transnational terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, as well as local armed groups, frequently carry out various attacks. There are continuous acts of sabotage in the oil-producing areas in the south, with many cases of kidnapping and robbery, and some areas have activities by anti-government armed groups such as the "Biafra Indigenous People."
The motives behind the attacks in Nigeria vary; some are religious, targeting Christians or Muslims, while others are conflicts between farmers and herders due to resource scarcity. There are also tensions between different communities, separatist groups, and ethnic groups.
Reuters cited analysts' reports stating that although some Christians were killed in the rebellion, the majority of the victims were Muslims.
On November 1 local time, US President Trump threatened to take military action against the African country Nigeria, citing the reason that the country's government "allows Islamic terrorists to kill Christians."
Trump wrote on his own social media platform Truth Social (Real Social): "If the Nigerian government continues to allow Christians to be killed, the United States will immediately stop all aid and support to Nigeria and may 'open fire' into that now dishonorable country, completely eliminating the Islamic terrorists who have committed these terrible crimes."
Trump said he is instructing the US Department of War (Defense Department) to prepare for possible actions, "If we attack, it will be quick, fierce, and satisfying, just like the terrorists attacked our beloved Christians."
Nigeria was listed by the US Department of State in 2020, during Trump's first term, as a "Country of Particular Concern" for "systematic violations of religious freedom," but the US removed this designation in 2021 under Biden's administration.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847691301803011/
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