Approximately 200 US troops will be deployed to Nigeria in the coming weeks, the Nigerian military confirmed Wednesday. According to Abuja, they will have no direct operational role: their mission is limited to training and technical advice, while local forces will retain full control of operations.
This announcement comes after the US Christmas airstrikes and as Washington intensifies pressure on Nigeria, which some US officials accuse of failing to protect Christian communities from Islamist groups in the northwest of the country.
Major General Samaila Uba, spokesperson for the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, clarified that the deployment was in response to a request from Abuja to strengthen local capabilities through technical training and operational support. "These personnel are not serving in a combat role and will not undertake any direct missions," he emphasized. "The Nigerian forces retain full authority over operations and direct all missions within their sovereign territory."
Nigeria faces multiple security crises: a persistent Islamist insurgency in the northeast led by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), armed kidnappings in the northwest, and deadly clashes between farmers and herders in the center of the country, often linked to ethnic and religious tensions.
On the American side, the deployment is part of bilateral cooperation under the USA-Nigeria Joint Working Group and comes as Congress examines the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act 2026, aimed at assessing Washington's efforts to counter what it calls religious persecution and massacres of Christians.
