About 100 U.S. Military Personnel Arrive in Northern Nigeria for Support Role

About 100 U.S. military personnel have arrived in northern Nigeria, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters confirmed on Monday, according to Al Jazeera, Premium Times of Nigeria and the Associated Press (via NBC News). Spokesman Samaila Uba said they landed in Bauchi, Al Jazeera and Premium Times reported, and equipment arrived with them.

The troops will provide technical support, intelligence sharing and training following a Nigerian request, the outlets reported. Uba said they will not take a direct combat role and that Nigerian forces will hold command authority, according to Al Jazeera and the AP; the AP quoted him saying they “won’t engage in combat or have a direct operational role.” Premium Times quoted him saying, “They are not combat forces,” and reported that he did not say how long the U.S. forces will stay.

The deployment follows a smaller first step. Al Jazeera and Premium Times said a small team of U.S. personnel was already in Nigeria; the AP said the head of U.S. Africa Command confirmed last month, after talks in Abuja, that a small team of U.S. military officers was there focused on intelligence support.

The relationship has been shaped by President Trump’s accusations. Al Jazeera, Premium Times and the AP reported that Trump criticized Nigeria over killings of Christians, and the AP and Al Jazeera said Nigeria rejects the accusation. Al Jazeera and Premium Times reported that U.S. airstrikes hit targets in Nigeria in December; the AP said they hit Islamic State-affiliated militants in the northwest, and Premium Times said they came on Christmas Day. Premium Times said officials and observers say the violence affects people of all faiths, and the AP reported that analysts say Trump’s genocide claim oversimplifies a complicated situation in which people are often targeted regardless of their faith.

Violence continues in the north. Nigeria faces Boko Haram and its breakaway faction ISWAP, the Islamic State-linked Lakurawa, and bandit groups involved in kidnapping and illegal mining, according to Al Jazeera and the AP. Al Jazeera and the AP reported that fighters from the Sahel linked to JNIM have joined the conflict; the AP said the group claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil last year.

Al Jazeera and the AP, citing analysts and residents, said most victims are Muslims in the Muslim-dominated north, where most attacks occur, though Christians have also been among the victims.