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About 100 American soldiers came to Nigeria on Monday to help local forces fight Islamist militants and other armed groups in the West African country, the Nigerian military said.
American personnel were affected as part of a broader security cooperation effort between Washington and Abuja and another 100 arrived later.
This arrival happened at the request of the Nigerian government, which sought help with training, technical support and intelligence sharing as it deals with violence, reported the Associated Press.
About 200 personnel from the US Africa Command are expected to be deployed to Nigeria in full force and in what officials described as a support operation aimed at strengthening the strength of the Nigerian military.
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Lieutenant General John W. Brennan, deputy commander, US Africa Command met with Nigerian officials when he arrived in Nigeria for talks. (US Army Sgt. Class 1st Kenneth Tucceri)
This effort is focused on fighting Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, both of which have attacked northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.
The first batch of troops represents the first group of what is expected to be a deployment of about 200 others, including American intelligence analysts, advisers and trainers.
The move follows the recent visit of senior officials of the US Africa Command to Abuja to strengthen military-to-military relations and increase cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
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Nigerian soldiers work at a checkpoint in Gwoza, Nigeria. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
On February 8, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu met with a high-level American delegation led by the commander of the US Africa Command, Gen. Dagvin Anderson at the State House in Abuja, according to the Office of the President of Nigeria.
The meeting brought together top Nigerian military, security and intelligence officials and focused on increasing intelligence sharing and operational coordination.
Monday’s deployment came as tensions between Washington and Abuja have eased following previous disagreements over religious violence and the protection of civilians.
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The breakup between President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (Ton Molina/Getty Images; Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from what he described as genocide, citing attacks by extremist groups and armed gangs.
Trump ordered airstrikes on December 25 targeting Islamic State terrorists and said they were responsible for killing Christians.
Africom carried out strikes in Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria against what it described as Islamic State terrorists and said they were cooperating with Nigerian authorities.
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“The United States has launched a powerful and deadly strike against the ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and brutally killing, in particular, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for years, even centuries!” Trump said in a Truth Social post at the time.
