The United States has deployed multiple MQ-9 drones and approximately 200 troops to Nigeria to provide intelligence and training support to the Nigerian military in its counterinsurgency operations across the northern region.
The deployment, which was requested by Nigerian authorities, is focused exclusively on surveillance and advisory roles, with no US personnel embedded in frontline units and no drone airstrikes being conducted, according to officials from both countries.
“The U.S. military has multiple MQ-9 drones operating in Nigeria alongside 200 troops to provide training and intelligence support to the military,” US and Nigerian officials told Reuters on Saturday.
Major General Samaila Uba, director of defence information at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, confirmed that US forces are operating from Bauchi airfield in the northeast.
“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.
A US defence official told Reuters that the mission is limited to intelligence collection and advisory support, adding: “We see this as a shared security threat.”
The MQ-9 drones, also known as Reaper drones, can loiter at high altitude for more than 27 hours and are capable of both intelligence gathering and strike missions. However, US and Nigerian officials clarified that the aircraft currently in Nigeria are being used exclusively for surveillance.
“Our US forces are helping Nigeria identify, track and respond to terrorist threats,” Uba said without elaborating on specific operations.
The deployment comes amid rising violence in Nigeria’s northeast and northwest regions. On March 16, suicide bombers attacked a garrison town in the northeast, highlighting the persistent threat posed by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.
“We continue to assess that these organisations will seek opportunistic targets and may attempt to demonstrate relevance through high-visibility attacks,” Uba said.
The Nigerian military stated that the duration of the current US deployment will be determined in agreement with its American partners.
The latest deployment follows American airstrikes on Christmas Day, ordered under President Donald Trump, which targeted ISIS-linked terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria. The Federal Government confirmed those strikes were part of a coordinated security partnership with international allies.
In February, reports indicated that the United States had deployed roughly 200 troops to Nigeria to provide training and operational support to the country’s military against Islamist militants. An American military official had noted at the time that the deployment came weeks after President Trump criticised Nigeria for failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks.
The mission underscores an intensifying focus on intelligence-sharing and capacity-building in response to evolving insurgent threats across northern Nigeria.
