The United States has concluded plans to deploy 200 troops to Nigeria to provide training and technical support to the country’s armed forces, amid increasing terrorists attacks targeting Christians in parts of the North.
Although, the Nigerian govt has denied the attacks are targeted at Christians alone, the deployment, confirmed on Tuesday by Nigerian and US officials, marks an expansion of military cooperation between Washington and Abuja as Nigeria continues its fight against insurgent and terror groups.
“We are getting US troops to assist in training and technical support,” Major General Samaila Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, told AFP.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the additional 200 troops will supplement a small US team already in Nigeria assisting with air strike targeting.
The reinforcements are expected to arrive in the coming weeks and will focus on strengthening operational coordination between Nigerian forces.
The US personnel will provide “training and technical guidance,” including helping Nigerian counterparts better coordinate operations involving air strikes and ground troops simultaneously, the newspaper reported.
Despite the scale-up, Nigerian authorities were emphatic that the American troops would not be drawn into frontline fighting.
“US troops aren’t going to be involved in direct combat or operations,” Uba told the Journal, underscoring that their role would be limited to advisory and support functions.
He added that Nigeria requested the additional assistance as part of efforts to enhance the effectiveness of its security operations against extremist groups operating in parts of the country.
Daily Intel Newspaper reported that Nigeria and the United States agreed to deepen military cooperation following growing concerns over terrorist threats in West Africa, leading to the deployment of a small team of U.S. troops to Nigeria.
The agreement was confirmed by the head of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, who said both countries concluded that existing efforts were not sufficient to address evolving security challenges in the region.
The renewed cooperation came weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes in December on what he described as Islamic State targets in Nigeria. Trump had also warned at the time that further American military action could follow, signalling a tougher U.S. posture toward extremist groups operating in West Africa.
Speaking at a media briefing, Anderson said discussions between Washington and Abuja resulted in an understanding that closer collaboration was necessary, culminating in the deployment of U.S. personnel to support Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” Anderson told journalists.
