The United States sends troops to Nigeria following terrorist attacks by extremists
Nigerian authorities announced Wednesday that the United States will send troops to Nigeria to help train the West African country’s army to combat extremism. A multifaceted security crisis is spreading in the north of the country.
U.S. personnel will not participate in combat or have a direct operational role, and Nigerian forces will have full command authority, Maj. Gen. Samayala Uba, spokesman for the Nigerian Defense Headquarters, said in a statement.
“At the invitation of the Government of Nigeria and in continuation of our long-standing security cooperation and military partnership with the United States, Nigeria will host a contingent of American technical and training personnel,” Oba said.
An American official, who requested anonymity, said that about 200 American soldiers are expected to arrive in Nigeria, because he was not authorized to speak publicly about this matter. The publication was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Nigeria has become the focus of Washington’s attention after US President Donald Trump said the country was not protecting Christians from alleged genocide. The Nigerian government has rejected the accusation, and analysts say this simplifies a very complex situation in which people are often targeted regardless of their beliefs.
In December, US forces launched air strikes against ISIS Armed men affiliated with the group in northwestern Nigeria. Last month, the head of the US Africa Command confirmed the presence of a small team of US military officers in Nigeria, focused on intelligence support.
Nigeria faces a long-running battle with dozens of local armed groups increasingly fighting for influence, including Islamist sects such as the local Boko Haram group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State in West Africa.
There is also the ISIS-linked Lakurawa group, as well as other “bandit” groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.
More recently, the crisis has escalated to include other militants from the neighboring Sahel region, including the group to support Islam and Muslims, which claimed responsibility for its first attack on Nigerian soil last year. Several thousand people have been killed in Nigeria’s protracted conflict, according to United Nations data. Analysts say the government is not doing enough to protect its citizens.
While Christians have been among those targeted, analysts and residents say the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north, where most attacks occur.
