US To Deploy 200 Troops To Nigeria For Military Training Mission

The United States is planning to send about 200 troops to Nigeria to assist in training Nigeria’s military, in order to fight Islamist terrorists in Nigeria, a U.S. official said on Tuesday

This comes weeks after President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes against what he called Islamic State targets in the country.

The U.S. military said last week that it sent a small team of troops to Nigeria without specifying a number, marking the first acknowledgment of U.S. forces on the ground since Washington struck by air on Christmas Day, 2025.

The official said the 200 troops will supplement a handful of U.S. military personnel already in Nigeria to help local forces fight against terrorism.

Recall that since the last air strike, Nigeria has come under intense pressure from Washington to act after President Trump alleged that the Nigerian government was failing to protect Christians from Islamist terrorists operating in the northwest region of the country.

The Nigerian government denied any systematic persecution of Christians, saying it is targeting Islamist fighters and other armed groups that attack and kill both Christians and Muslims in the country.

Favour Odima