U.S. forces will not assume a combat role and will operate under full command of the Nigerian military.
Published: February 16, 2026
The United States has sent 100 soldiers to northern Nigeria to train and advise local forces in response to the growing lethal threat from armed groups such as Boko Haram and its affiliates of the Islamic State (ISIL).
Samaila Uba, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defense Ministry, confirmed on Monday that US troops had arrived in the northeastern region of Bauchi.
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He said he would provide “technical assistance” and “information sharing” to help target and defeat “terrorist organizations.” The United States also sent ‘related equipment’ to support the mission.
General Uba emphasized that U.S. troops would not assume a direct combat role but would share technical expertise under full command of the Nigerian military.
“The Nigerian Army is committed to humiliating and defeating terrorist organizations that threaten the sovereignty of the country, national security and the safety of its citizens,” the military spokesperson said in comments carried by Nigeria’s Premium Times newspaper.
Last weekend, gunmen on motorcycles swept through three villages in northern Nigeria, killing at least 46 people and abducting many others. The bloodiest attack occurred in the Niger state town of Konkoso, where at least 38 people were shot dead or had their throats slit.
a long fight
The U.S. deployment follows a easing of tensions between Washington and Nigeria that flared late last year when U.S. President Donald Trump accused Nigeria of failing to stop killings of Christians and threatened military intervention.
Nigeria’s government has rejected Trump’s accusations, and analysts have said people of all faiths, not just Christians, have been victims of violence by armed groups.
Last December, the U.S. military began airstrikes targeting ISIL-linked fighters in northwestern North Korea. After discussions with Nigerian authorities in Abuja last month, the commander of U.S. Africa Command confirmed that a small team of U.S. military officers was focused on providing intelligence support to Nigeria.
Nigeria faces a protracted fight against dozens of regional armed groups, including its own Boko Haram and its breakaway ISIL affiliate in West Africa (ISWAP), who are increasingly fighting over territory.
There are other “bandit” groups, including the ISIL-linked Lakurawa, who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.
The crisis has worsened in recent days with the involvement of other fighters from the nearby Sahel region, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil last year.
Thousands of people have died in Nigeria, according to UN data.
Analysts and residents said that although Christians have been targeted, the majority of the militants’ victims have been Muslims in the Muslim-dominated northern region, where most attacks occur.
Nigeria’s population of 240 million is evenly divided between Christians, mainly in the south, and Muslims, mostly in the north.
