The US has deployed multiple MQ-9 drones alongside around 200 troops to Nigeria to provide intelligence and training support to the Nigerian military in its ongoing fight against insurgents across the northern region.
The operation is focused on surveillance and advisory support, with no US personnel embedded in frontline units and no drone airstrikes being conducted.
“The US military has multiple MQ-9 drones operating in Nigeria alongside 200 troops to provide training and intelligence support to the military,” U.S. and Nigerian officials told Reuters.
Nigerian officials requested the deployment to assist in identifying, tracking, and responding to terrorist threats in the area, according to Reuters on Saturday.
“We see this as a shared security threat,” a U.S. defense official told Reuters, underscoring that the mission is limited to intelligence collection and advisory support.
The head of defense information at Nigeria’s defense headquarters, Major General Samaila Uba, verified that American forces are based at the northeastern Bauchi airstrip.
“This support builds on the newly established U.S.-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which continues to deliver actionable intelligence to our field commanders. Our U.S. partners remain in a strictly non-combat role, enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities,” he said.
The MQ-9 drones, often known as Reaper drones, can conduct both intelligence gathering and strike missions while remaining at a high altitude for over 27 hours.
Officials from the US and Nigeria made it clear that the planes in Nigeria right now are only being utilized for observation.
“Our US forces are helping Nigeria identify, track, and respond to terrorist threats,” Uba said, without elaborating on specific operations.
The deployment coincides with rising levels of violence in the northwest and northeast of Nigeria. Suicide bombers targeted a northeastern garrison town on March 16, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram.
“We continue to assess that these organizations will seek opportunistic targets and may attempt to demonstrate relevance through high-visibility attacks,” Uba said.
The mission highlights an increasing focus on intelligence-sharing and capacity-building in response to evolving insurgent threats across northern Nigeria, according to the Nigerian military.
The United States deployment comes after President Donald Trump ordered American airstrikes on Christmas Day that targeted ISIS-linked terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria.
The federal government confirmed that the strikes were part of a coordinated security partnership with international allies aimed at combating terrorism and violent extremism.
In February, Chronicle NG reported that the United States had deployed roughly 100 troops to Nigeria to provide training and operational support to the country’s military in its fight against Islamist militants.
An American military official stated that the deployment came weeks after President Trump criticized Nigeria for failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks.
The report mentioned that the troops were expected to strengthen Nigeria’s counterterrorism capacity, particularly through training programs and intelligence support.
