The United States is preparing to send approximately 200 military personnel to Nigeria in the coming weeks, where they will train the country's armed forces in their ongoing battle against a growing Islamist insurgency — a move that follows a high-profile U.S. airstrike on Christmas night and escalating rhetoric from President Donald Trump over the protection of Nigerian Christians.
The Deployment
The roughly 200 troops will supplement a small team of American military officers already embedded with Nigerian forces. Nigerian officials have been clear that the new American contingent will not be engaging in combat operations.
Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, a spokesman for Nigeria's Defense Headquarters, described the incoming personnel as "technical and training personnel." The Wall Street Journal first reported on the imminent deployment, which was subsequently confirmed by a U.S. official.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson met with Nigerian Army Gen. Olufemi Oluyede and Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu in Abuja, Nigeria on February 9, underscoring the growing military partnership between the two nations.
Background: The Christmas Night Strike
The troop deployment comes more than a month after President Trump announced that U.S. forces had bombed what he described as "ISIS Terrorist Scum" in Nigeria on Christmas night. U.S. Africa Command's preliminary assessment indicated that multiple ISIS terrorists in Sokoto State were killed in the strikes.
Trump later acknowledged the timing of the operation was largely symbolic, saying he had deliberately delayed it to deliver what he called a "Christmas present" to the insurgents.
Trump's Push to Protect Nigerian Christians
In the lead-up to the Christmas night operation, Trump took to Truth Social with a series of posts demanding the protection of Christians in Nigeria, whom he claimed are being "mass slaughtered." He threatened that the U.S. military would go "guns-a-blazing" into Africa's most populous country if the violence against Christians was not stopped.
Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast on Capitol Hill last week, Trump doubled down on his position.
"When Christians come under attack, their assailants know they're going to be attacked violently and viciously by President Trump," he declared. "I know it's not a nice thing to say, but that's the way it is."
Nigeria Pushes Back on Genocide Claims
The Nigerian government has firmly rejected Trump's characterization of the violence as a Christian genocide. Nigerian officials maintain that terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa, have made no distinction between Christians and Muslims in their attacks — with extremists killing thousands at churches, mosques, and villages alike.
Beyond religious sectarianism, Nigerian authorities emphasize that the violence also stems from longstanding disputes over land and water resources between farming and herding communities.
AFRICOM's Mission
Gen. Anderson stressed that the U.S. mission is focused on partnership, not unilateral military action.
"U.S. Africa Command is working with Nigerian and regional partners to increase counterterrorism cooperation efforts related to ongoing violence and threats against innocent lives," he said in a statement. "Our goal is to protect Americans and disrupt violent extremist organizations wherever they are."
The deployment represents a significant escalation of U.S. military engagement in West Africa at a time when several other African nations — including Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso — have expelled American forces following military coups and pivoted toward Russia. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and largest economy, is seen as a critical strategic partner for maintaining U.S. influence in the region.
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