Roughly 100 American troops arrived in Nigeria today to help train and support the country’s military, a U.S. official confirmed to Task & Purpose.
The deployment comes nearly two months after the United States carried out a series of strikes in Nigeria’s Sokoto state on Christmas, targeting Islamic State-linked militants. Earlier today a spokesperson for Nigeria’s armed forces said that U.S. service members arrived at Bauchi Airfield in northern Nigeria. Their mission is to help Nigerian troops “effectively identify and neutralize extremist terrorist groups seeking to destabilize the nation.”
“The collaboration will provide access to specialized technical capabilities aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s ability to deter terrorists threats and enhance the protection of vulnerable communities across the country,” Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters, said in a statement.
The deployment follows a formal request by the Nigerian government for training, technical support and intelligence sharing. A spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command said that the forces are there to support Nigerian-led counter-terror operations, but did not say where the deployed troops were coming from or what units they are with. Nigeria’s statement stressed that the Americans are not a combat force and will strictly serve as advisers.
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Last week Reuters reported that the U.S. military plans to send a total of 200 troops to the central African country. The first wave began flying in over the weekend. It’s unclear when the remainder of that force will deploy to Nigeria.
Last fall the Trump administration repeatedly threatened military action in Nigeria, claiming there was large-scale violence against Christians in the country and that the government was not doing enough to stop it. Nigeria has refuted that claim, saying extremists have targeted people of all faiths. The massive country has seen several ongoing internal conflicts, although experts say much of that fighting is focused on economic disputes. Northern Nigeria is largely Muslim, and Muslim Nigerians have repeatedly been targeted by extremist groups.
On Christmas, a Navy destroyer fired several Tomahawk missiles at suspected camps for ISIS and Lakuwara, an affiliated group in Sokoto State. Some of the missiles failed to explode. It is unclear how many people were killed in the attacks. In January President Donald Trump threatened additional strikes.
The United States has been heavily involved in combat operations in Africa, with airstrikes against ISIS and other militant groups like al-Shabaab hitting record levels over the past year.
