Five US military aircraft and the first batch of United States troops arrived in north-east Nigeria ahead of a joint offensive against ISWAP terrorists in the region.
The New York Times reports that a US military aircraft touched down in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on Thursday night.
By Friday evening, three aircraft were visible at the base, with equipment being offloaded from at least one of them.
According to Brant Philip, a counter-terrorism researcher and expert, the military aircraft touched down in air force bases across Nigeria’s northern region over the past few days.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the United States would send 200 troops to Nigeria to train the country’s military, as the West African nation battles insurgents across swathes of its territory.
A US official said the troops would supplement a handful of United States military personnel already on the ground in Nigeria.
The deployment follows increased security partnership between both nations since US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over Christian genocide claims.
In a post on X, Philip shared that in furtherance of the security deal, six US Air Force cargo planes were deployed in West Africa over the past week.
Philip said one aircraft stopped in Ghana, with five proceeding to Nigeria.
He said a sixth aircraft arrived in Nigeria on Saturday and will likely follow the route towards the north-east.
Philip noted that one of the US planes, 1x C-17A, was deployed in the Kainji Airbase, while two others, 3x C-17A and 1x C-130J-30 flew to Maiduguri Airbase in Borno.
He said all of them left their respective bases on the same day they landed.
“Maiduguri Airbase will likely be the primary base of operations for supporting the Nigerian army against ISWAP,” the analyst said.
According to him, the Borno state capital is a critical location because the IS affiliate currently controls most of the rural areas in the state.
He said parts of the deliveries may include at least one or more MQ-9 Reaper drones, attack helicopters and a large number of US troops.
SECURITY COOPERATION
Last week, Dagvin Anderson, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) commander, visited Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja.
Anderson was received by President Bola Tinubu, Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA); Christopher Musa, minister of defence; Olufemi Oluyede, chief of defence staff; Waidi Shaibu, chief of army staff; and other senior security officials.
Shared security priorities, with a focus on countering terrorist organisations that threaten Nigeria, the United States, the wider region, and global security, were discussed.
Anderson said the US military had already deployed some forces in Nigeria as part of an expanded bilateral agreement to tackle terrorism and related security threats, though he did not disclose the exact size of the cavalry.
He noted that the troops will primarily focus on intelligence gathering and providing support to local forces.