Africa-Press. The United States plans to deploy 200 troops to Nigeria to train its armed forces in the fight against “extremist” Islamist groups, as Washington strengthens military cooperation with the West African country.
A Nigerian Defense Ministry spokesperson said Nigeria would “draw on U.S. forces to assist with training and technical support.” The deployment would add to a small U.S. team already in Nigeria that helps with identifying targets for air strikes.
The additional troops, expected to arrive in the coming weeks, are set to provide training and technical guidance, including helping Nigerian forces coordinate operations that combine air strikes and ground action. A spokesperson for the U.S. Africa Command confirmed the details.
Nigerian officials stressed that the U.S. troops will not take part in combat or direct operations. Nigeria will retain full command authority, make all operational decisions, and lead all missions on its sovereign territory.
The exact arrival date was not disclosed, but the move is framed as part of ongoing cooperation between the two countries. The U.S. military is also expected to provide intelligence support to Nigeria’s air force for target selection and to help speed up weapons procurement.
Diplomatically, Nigeria faces U.S. pressure over insecurity and attacks on civilians, amid debates in Washington about religiously motivated violence. U.S. officials have also noted that militant groups kill Muslims as well as Christians in large numbers.
Nigeria is battling a long-running insurgency concentrated in the northeast, while criminal gangs in the northwest carry out kidnappings for ransom and raid villages. The country’s central region also sees deadly clashes between farmers and Fulani herders—often linked by researchers to competition over land and shrinking resources.
