The US troopers won’t have a fight function and are to function underneath the total command authority of Nigeria’s navy.
Printed On 16 Feb 2026
The US has despatched 100 navy personnel to northern Nigeria to coach and advise native forces, as lethal threats rise from armed teams reminiscent of Boko Haram and ISIL (ISIS)-linked factions.
Samaila Uba, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters spokesman, confirmed the US troops’ arrival within the northeastern space of Bauchi on Monday.
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He mentioned they’ll present “technical assist” and “intelligence sharing” to assist goal and defeat “terrorist organisations”. The US additionally despatched “related tools” to assist the mission.
Uba confused that the US troopers won’t play a direct fight function, however will share technical experience underneath the total command authority of Nigerian forces.
“The armed forces of Nigeria stay absolutely dedicated to degrading and defeating terrorist organisations that threaten the nation’s sovereignty, nationwide safety, and the security of its residents,” mentioned the navy spokesman in feedback carried by Nigeria’s Premium Occasions newspaper.
Final weekend, gunmen on bikes rampaged by three villages in northern Nigeria, killing at least 46 people and abducting many others. The bloodiest assault occurred within the village of Konkoso, in Niger State, the place at the very least 38 folks have been shot useless or had their throats slit.
Protracted combat
The US deployment follows an easing of tensions that flared between Washington and Nigeria late final yr, when US President Donald Trump accused the country of failing to cease killings in opposition to Christians and threatened to intervene militarily.
The Nigerian authorities has rejected Trump’s accusation, and analysts say folks throughout all faiths, not simply Christians, are victims of armed teams’ violence
In December, US forces launched air strikes on ISIL-affiliated fighters within the nation’s northwest. Final month, following discussions with Nigerian authorities in Abuja, the top of US Africa Command confirmed {that a} small group of US navy officers have been in Nigeria, targeted on intelligence assist.
Nigeria is dealing with a protracted combat with dozens of native armed teams more and more battling for turf, together with the homegrown Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
There may be additionally the ISIL-linked Lakurawa, in addition to different “bandit” teams that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and unlawful mining.
Just lately, the disaster worsened to incorporate different fighters from the neighbouring Sahel area, together with the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which claimed its first assault on Nigerian soil final yr.
A number of thousand folks in Nigeria have been killed, in line with knowledge from the United Nations.
Whereas Christians have been amongst these focused, analysts and residents say the vast majority of victims of the armed teams are Muslims within the Muslim-dominated north, the place most assaults happen.
Nigeria’s 240 million persons are evenly cut up between Christians, primarily within the south, and Muslims, principally within the north.
