The United States has confirmed the deployment of a small number of its military personnel to Nigeria, marking the first public acknowledgement of American forces operating on Nigerian soil since Washington conducted airstrikes against suspected Islamic State targets on 25 December 2025.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday by General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), during a press briefing.
He said the move followed extensive discussions between the governments of the United States and Nigeria on the need to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism 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,” General Anderson said, without specifying the size of the contingent or the exact nature of its mission.
The AFRICOM chief also declined to disclose when the personnel arrived in the country, underscoring that operational details would remain restricted.
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Major-General Christopher Musa (retd.), confirmed that a U.S. team is currently working in the country, although he also refrained from providing further information on their role or mandate.
A former United States official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told some media outlets that the American contingent is likely engaged in intelligence gathering and supporting Nigerian forces with targeting information against terrorist groups.
The confirmation of deployed U.S. forces comes against a backdrop of renewed military cooperation between Abuja and Washington, particularly in response to the intensifying threat posed by Islamist militant groups in Nigeria’s north-east and north-west regions.
The deployment follows a series of airstrikes authorised by the US President Donald Trump in December 2025 against locations linked to the Islamic State and other extremist elements. These strikes, reportedly conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities, were aimed at degrading militant capabilities.
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