The United States has deployed a small team of troops to Nigeria, the head of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed on Tuesday, marking the first official acknowledgment of U.S. forces operating on Nigerian soil since Washington carried out airstrikes on Christmas Day.
President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes in December on what he described as Islamic State targets in Nigeria and indicated that further U.S. military action could follow. Earlier reports had revealed that the United States had been conducting surveillance flights over Nigeria from neighboring Ghana since at least late November.
According to AFRICOM commander General Dagvin R. M. Anderson, the deployment followed an agreement between both countries that stronger measures were needed to combat the growing terrorist threat in West Africa.
“This has led to increased collaboration between our nations, including the deployment of a small U.S. team that brings unique capabilities from the United States,” Anderson told journalists during a press briefing. He did not disclose details regarding the size or scope of the mission.
Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, confirmed that a U.S. team is operating in the country but also declined to provide further specifics. A former U.S. official said the team appears to be heavily involved in intelligence gathering and in supporting Nigerian forces targeting terrorist-affiliated groups.
Nigeria has faced mounting pressure from Washington following President Trump’s accusations that the country has failed to protect Christian communities from Islamist militants operating primarily in the northwest. The Nigerian government has rejected claims of systematic persecution of Christians, maintaining that its security operations target Islamist fighters and armed groups responsible for attacks on both Christian and Muslim civilians.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters have intensified attacks on military convoys and civilians, with northwestern Nigeria remaining the epicenter of a 17-year-long Islamist insurgency.
AFRICOM confirmed that the recent airstrike was carried out in Sokoto State in coordination with Nigerian authorities and resulted in the deaths of multiple ISIS militants. The strike followed repeated warnings from President Trump since late October, when he described Christianity in Nigeria as facing an “existential threat” and threatened military intervention over continued violence against Christian communities.
