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The U.S. is deploying about 200 additional troops to Nigeria to train and advise the country’s military in its fight against Islamist militant groups, a U.S. military official said Tuesday.
The troops are expected to arrive in the coming weeks and will supplement a small American military presence already operating in the country. Officials told The Wall Street Journal that personnel will provide training and technical guidance, including support for Nigerian forces in coordinating simultaneous air and ground operations.
“The terrorist activity in West Africa — and Nigeria specifically — is something we’re incredibly concerned with,” a spokesperson for United States Africa Command said. “We want to partner with capable and willing partners that are able to address these shared security concerns.”
Nigerian military spokesman Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba said the government requested the additional assistance and emphasized that U.S. forces will not participate in combat.
“The U.S. troops aren’t going to be involved in direct combat or operations,” Uba said.
U.S. officials confirmed that the mission will focus on training and advisory roles.
The expanded deployment follows heightened rhetoric from President Donald Trump, who last year accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from extremist violence and threatened to reduce U.S. aid. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected those claims.
U.S. officials say Nigeria has since signaled a stronger commitment to counterterrorism cooperation. On Christmas Day, a U.S. warship launched more than a dozen missiles at two suspected Islamic State camps in Nigeria with Nigerian support, according to officials. Uba declined to provide casualty figures but said the operation achieved its objective.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with about 237 million people, has battled Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province for more than a decade. The insurgencies began in the northeast but have spread to other parts of the country, contributing to widespread displacement and instability.
Both Muslims and Christians have been among the victims of extremist attacks. The violence drew international attention in 2014 when Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, an incident that became a symbol of the group’s brutality.
U.S. Africa Command said it continues to coordinate with regional partners to counter violent extremist organizations, noting that the new troop deployment is part of a broader advisory effort to strengthen Nigeria’s security capabilities rather than introduce direct U.S. combat operations.
