A team of ground troops described by the United States of America as “small team of troops” have landed in Nigeria.
The General in charge of the U.S. command for Africa (AFRICOM), General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, confirmed the troops deployment to Nigeria yesterday, February 3. He spoke to journalists at a news briefing.
He said that the decision to send troops to Nigeria was after both countries agreed that more is needed to combat the 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.”
General Anderson did not however provide further details about the size and scope of their mission in Nigeria.
According to Reuters, Nigeria’s Defense Minister, Christopher Musa, confirmed that a team was working in Nigeria but did not provide further details.
The development is the first acknowledgment of U.S. forces on the ground since US airstrikes targeting terrorists in Nigeria’s North-West on Christmas Day, 2025. President Donald Trump, who announced that he ordered the airstrikes on what he described as Islamic State targets, had said there could be more U.S. military action in Nigeria.
The U.S. is believed to have been conducting surveillance flights over the country from Ghana since late November last year.
A former U.S. official said the U.S. team appeared to be heavily involved in intelligence gathering that have enabled Nigerian forces to strike terrorist-affiliated groups.
