Nigeria’s new army chief has pledged an intensified campaign against terrorists in the country’s north, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump warned of military action if attacks on Christians continued.

Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu told troops in Maiduguri last Friday, “You have been training to defeat the terrorists… This time, you are going to do it differently.” He added that all necessary support and new platforms had been provided “to ensure that you succeed.”

The comments followed Trump’s November 1 warning that he would end aid and “wipe out the Islamic terrorists” in Nigeria — a threat that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu publicly rejected.

Experts cited by the Associated Press said Trump mischaracterized the conflict, which affects both Christians and Muslims.

Nigeria, with a population of 220 million split almost evenly between Christians and Muslims, has faced a decade-long struggle against Boko Haram and other armed groups.

Attacks have varied in motivation, including religious targeting, communal clashes, farmer-herder disputes, secessionist violence, and ethnic rivalries. Analysts noted that while Christians have been victims, the majority of casualties have occurred among Muslims in the country’s Muslim-majority north.

Shaibu described the military campaign as entering a “critical phase” of the conflict, emphasizing that success was essential to protecting all civilians, including the nation’s Christian population.