The United States is set to deploy 200 troops to Nigeria to support the training of the country’s military as it intensifies efforts to combat insurgency across northern regions.

According to Reuters, a US official said the additional personnel will reinforce a small number of American troops already stationed in Nigeria.

The deployment comes amid strengthened security cooperation between both countries, following the redesignation of Nigeria by US President Donald Trump as a “country of particular concern” over claims of Christian persecution.

Last week, the commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Dagvin Anderson, visited Abuja, where he held talks with President Bola Tinubu and top Nigerian security officials, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Defence Minister Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Army Staff Waidi Shaibu, and other senior officers.

Discussions focused on shared security priorities, particularly counterterrorism efforts against groups threatening Nigeria, the United States, the wider West African region, and global security.

Anderson disclosed that US forces had already been deployed under an expanded bilateral security agreement, although he did not reveal their exact number. He noted that the troops would concentrate mainly on intelligence gathering and providing operational support to Nigerian forces.

On Christmas Day, the United States carried out missile strikes on two terrorist enclaves in the Bauni forest, Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the “precision strikes” resulted from intelligence sharing and strategic coordination between both countries, and were conducted in line with international practice and existing bilateral agreements.