The United States has dispatched a small team of ground troops to Nigeria, marking the first official confirmation of boots on the ground following Christmas Day airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump.
Gen Dagvin RM Anderson, head of the US military’s Africa Command (Africom), announced the move on Tuesday, framing it as enhanced collaboration to counter a mounting terrorist threat in west Africa.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” Anderson told journalists as reported by The Jerusalem Post.
Minister of Defence Christopher Musa, has confirmed the presence of the US team but offered no further details.
A former US official suggested the group is focused on intelligence gathering and supporting Nigerian forces in targeting ISIS-affiliated militants.
NewsQuest gathered that the deployment comes amid heightened US pressure on Nigeria, after Trump accused the government of failing to protect Christian communities from Islamist violence in the northwest.
The Federal Government including the presidency has however since denied systematic persecution, insisting its operations target Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters who attack civilians of all faiths.
President Trump authorised the Sokoto state airstrike—which Africom said killed several ISIS operatives—in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
The attack followed Trump’s October warnings of an “existential threat” to Christianity in Nigeria, raising fears of deeper US entanglement in the nearly 17-year insurgency.
