The United States is preparing to deploy about 200 troops to Nigeria to train the country’s armed forces in counterterrorism operations against terrorists, according to a report by Wall Street Journal.
The planned deployment comes weeks after President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes against what he described as Islamic State targets in the West African nation.
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Last week, the US military confirmed it had sent a small team of personnel to Nigeria but did not disclose the exact number. The acknowledgment marked the first official confirmation of American forces operating on Nigerian soil since Washington carried out airstrikes on Christmas Day.
Trump has indicated that further US military action in Nigeria remains possible to protect Christians, whom he believes are being persecuted.
According to a US official, the 200 troops will reinforce a limited number of American military personnel already in the country, with the objective of supporting and training Nigerian forces.
Nigeria has faced mounting pressure from Washington after Trump alleged that the government was failing to protect Christians from terrorists operating in parts of the north.
The Nigerian government has rejected claims of systematic persecution, maintaining that its security forces are combating insurgents and other armed groups responsible for attacks on both Christian and Muslim communities.
A few days ago, President Bola Tinubu received Dagvin Anderson, the commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The details of the meeting were not disclosed to be public.
Militant groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have escalated assaults on military convoys and civilian targets, while the northeast continues to serve as a focal point of a decade-long insurgency.
