US to Deploy 200 Troops to Nigeria for Counterterrorism Training Amid Rising Security Crisis
The United States Department of Defense has confirmed plans to deploy approximately 200 troops to Nigeria in the coming weeks to support the Nigerian Armed Forces in counterterrorism operations.
The development, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, underscores Washington’s expanding security cooperation with Abuja amid escalating extremist violence across parts of the country.
A United States official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operational matters, told PulseNets that the additional troops will reinforce a small contingent of US forces already stationed in Nigeria. The team is currently assisting Nigerian security personnel in identifying potential terrorist targets through coordinated US–Nigeria intelligence sharing.
PulseNets learnt that the newly deployed personnel will be positioned at multiple strategic locations nationwide, where they will provide advanced training and technical advisory support. The official clarified that the troops will not engage in direct combat operations.
The planned deployment comes weeks after President Donald Trump publicly criticised Nigeria over what he described as the government’s inability to protect Christians from terrorist attacks. He had warned of possible US military intervention over alleged “Christian genocide” and threatened to ensure there would be “boots on ground” if the attacks persisted.
On December 25, US Navy warships, working with intelligence obtained by Nigerian authorities, launched 16 Tomahawk missiles at designated targets in northwest Nigeria. President Trump described the targets as the “terrorist scum” responsible for killing Nigerian Christians.
Security sources reported that the missile operation, estimated to cost about $32 million, followed sustained lobbying by Christian advocacy groups, Republican lawmakers, and prominent American figures urging Washington to intervene in Nigeria’s protracted security crisis.
Nigeria’s insecurity crisis has been characterised by deadly land disputes, kidnappings for ransom, sectarian tensions, and insurgent attacks, resulting in thousands of Muslim and Christian casualties in recent years.
US military officials reported that the December airstrikes targeted Islamic State-linked operatives. PulseNets learnt that more than three dozen suspects were later apprehended by Nigerian security agencies in follow-up operations.
However, some residents in the affected communities reportedly claimed that the missiles struck deserted fields and previously abandoned militant enclaves.
The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), led by General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, confirmed that it is intensifying collaboration with Nigerian and regional security partners to combat extremist organisations such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
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“Africa Command is working with our Nigerian and regional partners to increase counterterrorism cooperation efforts related to ongoing violence and threats against innocent lives,” Anderson said after the December strikes.
“Our goal is to protect Americans and disrupt violent extremist organisations wherever they are,” he added.
