The United States has confirmed that it has deployed a small team of ground troops to Nigeria, marking a rare acknowledgement of US military presence in the country.
The announcement was made by General Dagvin Anderson, the head of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), during a press briefing on Tuesday.
According to General Anderson, the deployment followed a meeting with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu in Rome late last year and is part of expanded security cooperation between both countries.
He said the US team brings “unique capabilities” aimed at supporting Nigeria’s ongoing security efforts but did not provide details on the size, role, or exact arrival date of the troops.
This is the first public confirmation of US troops operating on Nigerian soil since the administration of former US President Donald Trump carried out air strikes against terrorist targets in Sokoto State on Christmas Day.
In December, US forces struck two terrorist enclaves in the Bauni forest area of Tangaza Local Government Area, following threats by Mr Trump to take decisive action against extremist groups accused of targeting Christians in Nigeria.
The latest development comes weeks after a US delegation, led by Under-Secretary of State Allison Hooker and officials from eight federal agencies, visited Abuja for a bilateral security meeting with Nigerian authorities.
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, led the Nigerian delegation. The talks followed the US decision to redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over religious freedom issues.
The Nigerian Ministry of Defence has not yet commented on the reported deployment.
