The United States has deployed a small team of troops to Nigeria, marking its first official ground military presence in the country since U.S. airstrikes targeted terrorist locations on Christmas Day 2025.
The deployment follows airstrikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2025 against what he described as Islamic State targets operating within Nigeria. Trump had warned at the time that further American military action could follow if terrorist threats continued to grow.
According to Reuters, the U.S. had been conducting surveillance flights over Nigeria from neighbouring Ghana since at least late November 2025, providing intelligence support ahead of the December strikes.
A Reuters report on Tuesday said the troop deployment is the outcome of an agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Washington to strengthen cooperation against increasing terrorist threats across West Africa.
Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, the Head of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, confirmed the presence of the American team.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small U.S. team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” Anderson said.
He declined to disclose the size or specific role of the team but noted that it would support Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations.
Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, also confirmed the presence of the U.S. personnel but declined to provide further operational details.
Security sources cited by Reuters said the American troops are likely involved in intelligence gathering and assisting Nigerian forces in targeting terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Nigeria has come under pressure from Washington over its handling of terrorist violence, particularly after President Trump accused the Federal Government of failing to protect Christian communities in parts of the northwest — allegations the government has rejected.
The Federal Government has maintained that its military operations are neutral and target all armed groups attacking civilians, regardless of religious or ethnic affiliation.
