US to Deploy 200 Troops to Nigeria for Training, Not Combat, Military Confirms
ABUJA, Nigeria — Around 200 US military personnel are expected to arrive in Nigeria in the coming weeks for training and advisory missions, but they will not engage in combat operations, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters said on Wednesday.
The clarification came after a US official signaled that the Pentagon plans to deploy troops to support Nigerian forces battling Islamist militants. In a statement, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters spokesperson, Major General Samaila Uba, said the American personnel would provide technical instruction at several locations across the country.
“Nigerian forces retain full command authority and will lead all missions on sovereign territory,” Uba said. “US personnel will not assume operational control.”
The announcement follows US President Donald Trump’s recent order of airstrikes against what he described as Islamic State targets inside Nigeria. While Washington has long provided counterterrorism assistance to Abuja, the latest deployment underscores deepening security cooperation amid persistent militant threats in the northeast.
Uba emphasised that the role of US troops remains strictly limited to capacity building. “They are here to train, advise, and assist—not to fight,” he said.
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