Nigeria, Jan. 9 -- President Donald Trump warned Thursday that the United States could unleash additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks on Christian communities there do not stop, injecting fresh intensity into a contentious foreign policy debate.

Speaking in an interview published by The New York Times, Trump framed further action as a direct response to what he described as ongoing violence against Christians, following a U.S. airstrike in Nigeria on Christmas Day targeting Islamic State militants.

"I'd love to make it a one-time strike... But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike," Trump said, underscoring his readiness to authorize repeated operations.

The U.S. military has maintained that the...