President Donald Trump’s administration has approved the deployment of 200 United States troops to Nigeria to provide combat training and technical support to Nigerian security forces in the fight against terrorism.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the approval followed a request by President Bola Tinubu and came weeks after U.S. airstrikes reportedly targeted terrorist enclaves in Sokoto.
The American troops are expected to arrive in Nigeria in the coming weeks.
The deployed personnel will focus on training Nigerian forces in air and infantry operations, intelligence gathering, and coordinated strategies aimed at degrading Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other insurgent groups operating in the country.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Africa Command said Washington remains deeply concerned about terrorist activities in West Africa, particularly Nigeria, and is committed to partnering with capable and willing allies to address shared security challenges.
Clarifying the scope of the mission, the Nigerian Armed Forces spokesperson, Major-General Samaila Uba, said the U.S. troops would not be involved in direct combat operations but would provide training and technical guidance to enhance the effectiveness of Nigerian forces.
The development comes amid heightened diplomatic engagement between Abuja and Washington, following Nigeria’s redesignation in late 2025 as a country of particular concern over alleged religious violence.
President Tinubu has repeatedly maintained that the killings across parts of the country are largely driven by conflicts between herders and farmers rather than religious motives.
Despite this, the Nigerian government has intensified efforts to strengthen security cooperation with the United States. President Tinubu previously met with U.S. General R.M. Dagvin Anderson in Rome, where both leaders agreed to deepen military collaboration.
Most recently, First Lady Remi Tinubu publicly praised U.S. military strikes against terrorist enclaves during a television interview, describing them as beneficial and calling for sustained international support in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
