The United States has dispatched a compact unit of soldiers to Nigeria to enhance counter-terrorism operations, marking Washington’s first acknowledged ground presence in the West African nation since airstrikes targeted Islamic State militants there in late 2025.
The move, revealed by US Africa Command chief General Dagvin Anderson on Wednesday, stems from joint assessments deeming prior initiatives inadequate against mounting regional threats.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” Anderson said.
Nigeria’s defence minister, General Christopher Musa, verified the arrangement but withheld specifics on the contingent’s scale, duties or timeline.
The deployment follows US President Donald Trump’s authorization of December 2025 aerial assaults in Sokoto state, which eliminated “multiple ISIS terrorists,” per the Pentagon.
Trump heralded the strikes on his Truth Social platform, writing: “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing. Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. May God bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth echoed the sentiment on X, stating: “The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation.”
The partnership targets persistent insurgencies in Nigeria’s northeast and northwest, where groups like ISIS and Boko Haram affiliates have inflicted heavy casualties.
Washington recently redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged genocidal violence against Christians, a label Abuja disputes, insisting attacks span all faiths.
Both sides frame the collaboration as a capacity-building exercise respecting sovereignty, amid broader US efforts to curb extremism in the Sahel.
