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US deploys troops to Nigeria following December airstrikes
The United States has deployed a “small team” of troops to Nigeria following renewed security cooperation between both countries.
The disclosure was made by Dagvin Anderson, the commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), during a press briefing held on Tuesday.
This is the first public confirmation of the presence of US troops on Nigerian soil since the administration of former President Donald Trump carried out missile strikes against suspected terrorists in Sokoto on Christmas Day.
Anderson said the move followed his meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Rome late last year.
“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,” Anderson said.
He did not provide further details. It is also unclear when the team arrived in Nigeria.
Weeks ago, Allison Hooker, under-secretary of state, led a US team of eight federal agencies to Abuja for a bilateral working group meeting with Nigerian security officials.
Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), headed the Nigerian delegation.
The meeting was in response to the redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ (CPC) by Trump.
Trump had threatened to send troops into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing to wipe out the terrorists killing our Christians”.
On December 25, the US launched air strikes against two terrorist enclaves in Bauni forest in Tangaza LGA, Sokoto state.
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