The United States military has acknowledged that a small number of US forces has been deployed to Nigeria, according to the commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) on Tuesday. This is the first official confirmation of U.S. forces on the ground since Washington stuck by air on Christmas Day.
President Donald Trump authorized the December airstrikes, describing the targets as Islamic State-linked militants, and indicated that further U.S. military actions in Nigeria could follow.
Earlier reports by Reuters revealed that the U.S. had been carrying out surveillance missions over Nigeria from neighboring Ghana since at least late November. The top general said the U.S. team was sent after both countries agreed that more needed to be done to combat the terrorist threat in West Africa.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, head of the U.S. military’s Africa Command AFRICOM, told journalists during a press briefing on Tuesday.
General Anderson declined to disclose details regarding the team’s size or the full scope of its operations.
Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, confirmed the presence of the U.S. team in the country but also did not provide further specifics. A former U.S. official noted that the deployed personnel appear to be playing a significant role in intelligence collection and in supporting Nigerian forces to carry out operations against terrorist-linked groups.
The deployment comes amid increased pressure from Washington, following accusations by President Trump that Nigeria has failed to adequately protect Christian communities from Islamist militants operating in the northwest. The Nigerian government has rejected claims of systematic persecution of Christians, stating that its security operations target Islamist fighters and other armed groups responsible for attacks on both Christian and Muslim civilians.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have escalated attacks on civilians and military convoys, with Nigeria’s northwest continuing to be the focal point of the 17-year-long Islamist insurgency.
The U.S. Military Africa Command confirmed that the recent airstrike was conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities in Sokoto State and resulted in the deaths of several ISIS militants.
The strike followed warnings issued by President Trump in late October, when he claimed that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and suggested possible U.S. military intervention if violence against Christian communities continues.
