United States to deploy troops in Nigeria for military training

Wednesday 11 February 2026 - 12:00

By: Sahili Aya

United States to deploy troops in Nigeria for military training

The United States is preparing to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train the country’s military in its ongoing fight against jihadist groups, officials from both nations confirmed on Tuesday. The deployment comes as Washington deepens its military cooperation with Abuja.

“We will have American forces providing training and technical support,” stated General Samaila Uba, spokesperson for the Nigerian army.

Earlier reports indicated that the new troops will join a small team already operating in Nigeria, assisting with the coordination of airstrikes. According to the Wall Street Journal, the additional 200 personnel are expected in the coming weeks to train Nigerian forces in coordinating combined operations involving air and ground forces.

A representative of the U.S. Africa Command confirmed the deployment, which arrives amid ongoing diplomatic pressures from Washington regarding violence in Nigeria. Former U.S. President Donald Trump described these attacks as “genocide” and “persecution” of Christians, claims rejected by the Nigerian government and many experts, who note that the violence affects both Muslim and Christian civilians.

Despite these tensions, military cooperation continues. U.S. airstrikes on Christmas Day targeted jihadist fighters linked to the Islamic State in Sokoto State. Following these operations, Nigerian forces announced they would rely on American intelligence to guide their own air campaigns.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has been battling an Islamist insurgency since 2009, mainly in the northeast, while armed groups, often called “bandits,” have spread across rural areas in the northwest and central-north regions.