The United States is set to deploy about 200 troops to Nigeria to support the training of the country’s armed forces as Abuja intensifies its fight against jihadist insurgents and armed gangs, Nigerian and US officials confirmed on Tuesday.
A spokesman for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, Major General Samaila Uba, said the deployment would focus on training and technical assistance. “We are getting US troops to assist in training and technical support,” he told AFP, stressing that the mission would strengthen the Nigerian military’s operational capacity.
The deployment, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, will complement a small US team already in Nigeria that provides assistance with airstrike targeting. The additional troops, expected to arrive in the coming weeks, will help Nigerian forces improve coordination between air and ground operations, particularly in complex counterinsurgency missions.
A spokesperson for the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the plan, noting that the troops will not be involved in direct combat operations.
The move comes amid growing security challenges in Nigeria and heightened diplomatic engagement between Abuja and Washington. The US has repeatedly expressed concern over violence linked to jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), as well as widespread banditry and communal clashes.
While some US officials and commentators have framed parts of the violence as persecution of Christians, the Nigerian government has rejected that characterization, arguing that insecurity affects communities across religious lines. Independent analysts largely agree, pointing instead to weak governance, competition over land and resources, and the spread of armed groups across poorly policed regions.
Despite diplomatic tensions, military cooperation between the two countries has deepened. In December, the US carried out airstrikes targeting militants in Sokoto State in a joint operation with Nigerian forces. Washington has also pledged to provide intelligence support for Nigerian air operations and to fast-track arms sales.
Uba said Nigeria formally requested the additional US support, adding that the deployment reflects shared interests in stabilising the region. “US troops are not going to be involved in direct combat or operations,” he said, underscoring the advisory nature of the mission.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, continues to battle a prolonged jihadist insurgency in the northeast, criminal banditry in the northwest, and recurrent clashes between farmers and herders in the central region, driven largely by competition over land and dwindling resources.
