The United States will deploy approximately 200 troops to Nigeria in the coming weeks to train local forces combating Islamist militant groups, a U.S. official confirmed Tuesday.
General Samila Uber, spokesperson for Nigeria’s military, said the American personnel would provide training and technical guidance to their Nigerian counterparts but would not engage in combat operations.
“Their role is limited to training and technical guidance,” Uber said, adding that the troops would join a small team of U.S. soldiers already present in the West African nation.
The deployment comes as Nigeria contends with a longstanding Islamist insurgency concentrated in the country’s northeast region. The United States has previously conducted military operations in Nigeria, including joint airstrikes with Nigerian forces in northwestern Sokoto state in December.
U.S. military officials said the expanded partnership would include intelligence sharing to support Nigerian air strikes and expedited processing of arms purchases.
The announcement follows recent statements from President Donald Trump characterizing insecurity in Nigeria as “persecution and genocide against Christians” – a framing that Nigerian officials have rejected. Abuja has denied allegations of Christian persecution in the country, a narrative long promoted by the U.S. religious right.
The deployment reflects continued U.S. engagement in counterterrorism efforts across Africa’s most populous nation, where militant groups have waged an insurgency for more than a decade.
