The US troopers won’t have a fight function and are to function below the total command authority of Nigeria’s army.
Revealed On 16 Feb 2026
America has despatched 100 army 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 stated they may present “technical help” and “intelligence sharing” to assist goal and defeat “terrorist organisations”. The US additionally despatched “related gear” to help the mission.
Uba pressured that the US troopers won’t play a direct fight function, however will share technical experience below the total command authority of Nigerian forces.
“The armed forces of Nigeria stay totally dedicated to degrading and defeating terrorist organisations that threaten the nation’s sovereignty, nationwide safety, and the security of its residents,” stated the army spokesman in feedback carried by Nigeria’s Premium Instances 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 least 38 individuals had been shot lifeless or had their throats slit.
Protracted struggle
The US deployment follows an easing of tensions that flared between Washington and Nigeria late final 12 months, when US President Donald Trump accused the country of failing to cease killings towards Christians and threatened to intervene militarily.
The Nigerian authorities has rejected Trump’s accusation, and analysts say individuals 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 workforce of US army officers had been in Nigeria, centered on intelligence help.
Nigeria is going through a protracted struggle 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’s additionally the ISIL-linked Lakurawa, in addition to different “bandit” teams that concentrate on kidnapping for ransom and unlawful mining.
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 12 months.
A number of thousand individuals in Nigeria have been killed, in response to information 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 individuals are evenly cut up between Christians, primarily within the south, and Muslims, largely within the north.
