The United States military has officially confirmed the deployment of a specialised team of troops to Nigeria, marking the first public acknowledgement of American boots on the ground since the Christmas Day airstrikes.
General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), announced the deployment during a briefing on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. He stated that the decision followed high-level discussions between Washington and Abuja aimed at addressing regional instability. According to General Anderson, the team provides "unique capabilities" designed to augment Nigeria’s existing counter-terrorism efforts.
The deployment comes in the wake of a period of intense diplomatic and military friction. On December 25, 2025, President Donald Trump ordered a series of airstrikes in Sokoto State targeting what he described as Islamic State camps. At the time, President Trump cited an "existential threat" to Christian communities in northern Nigeria as a primary justification for the intervention, a narrative the Nigerian government has consistently disputed.
The Nigerian government has maintained that the security crisis is not defined by religious persecution, arguing that both Muslims and Christians are victims of the ongoing violence.
Nigerian Defence Minister Christopher Musa confirmed the presence of the American personnel on Wednesday, though he declined to provide specific details regarding their exact numbers or operational locations as reported by Reuters.
"We agreed that we needed to work together on the way forward in the region," General Anderson told reporters during the virtual conference. "That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small U.S. team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States."