Washington DC [US], December 4 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday (local time) warned that radical Islam’s desire to “control more territories and people” is an “imminent threat” to the world. He also said the US will restrict visas for those who “direct, authorize, fund or support violence against Christians” in Nigeria and around the world.
In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said the US faces its greatest threat from radical Islamists, who he believes view the country as “the chief source of evil on the planet.”
“Radical Islam has shown that their desire is not simply to occupy one part of the world and be happy with their own little caliphate; they want to expand. It’s revolutionary in its nature. It seeks to expand and control more territories and more people,” Rubio said.
“That’s a clear and imminent threat to the world and to the broader West, but especially the United States, which they identify as the chief source of evil on the planet,” he added.
Rubio said radical Islamists are “prepared to conduct acts of terrorism, assassination, murders” to gain their “domination of different cultures and societies.”
“Radical Islam has designs, openly, on the West, on the United States, on Europe. We’ve seen that progress there as well. And they are prepared to conduct acts of terrorism—in the case of Iran, nation-state actions, assassinations, murders, you name it. Whatever it takes for them to gain their influence and ultimately their domination of different cultures and societies,” Rubio said in the Fox News interview.
Additionally, Rubio announced that the US will restrict visas of those “who knowingly direct, authorise, fund, support” or carry out atrocities and violence against Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere.
In a post on X, Rubio wrote: “The United States is taking decisive action in response to the atrocities and violence against Christians in Nigeria and around the world. The @StateDept will restrict U.S. visas for those who knowingly direct, authorize, fund, support, or carry out violations of religious freedom. This visa policy applies to Nigeria and other governments or individuals that persecute people for their religious beliefs.”
Earlier, US President Donald Trump warned Washington could take military action against Nigeria, claiming the country’s Christians are being deliberately targeted and killed. His remarks drew support from voices in right-wing and evangelical Christian circles in the US.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he met Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and his team, noting their talks focused on “the horrific violence against Christians in their country.”
According to Reuters, Nigeria has been battling Islamist insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) for over 15 years. The insurgency, primarily in the northeast, has killed thousands and displaced millions. (ANI)
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