The United States has confirmed the deployment of a small team of military personnel to Nigeria, marking the first official acknowledgment that U.S. forces are now on the ground in the country.
The confirmation was made by General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, head of the U.S. military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM), who said the decision followed a meeting with Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rome late last year.
According to the U.S. military, the deployment came after both countries agreed that additional measures were needed to address the evolving security challenges in West Africa, particularly the threat posed by extremist groups.
“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 in order to augment what Nigeria has been doing for several years,” General Anderson said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
While the exact date of the team’s arrival in Nigeria was not disclosed, U.S. officials said the personnel are expected to provide specialised support in areas such as intelligence and planning, working alongside Nigerian forces rather than engaging in direct combat operations.
The development follows U.S. airstrikes carried out on December 25 last year against an Islamic State–affiliated group operating in the region, signalling a deepening of security cooperation between Washington and Abuja.
Nigerian authorities have not yet issued a detailed public statement on the scope or duration of the U.S. presence.