The United States will send 200 troops to Nigeria to train the country’s military to combat Islamist terrorists.
The new deployment follows recent U.S. airstrikes and President Donald Trump’s warnings over the Nigerian government’s handling of attacks against Christians.
The troops are expected to arrive in phases over the next few weeks and will be based at multiple locations across Nigeria to support training and coordination, a military official told The Wall Street Journal.
Nigerian authorities said the troops will not engage in direct combat but will provide technical guidance for operations, including air and infantry coordination.
The decision to increase U.S. involvement comes amid renewed concern in Washington over the spread of Islamist violence in Nigeria, particularly by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP.
Nigerian military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba said that the government had requested the expanded support.
A spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command called the threat from West African terror groups serious and ongoing, saying that the U.S. is seeking to work with capable partners in the region to address common security challenges.
The move follows an earlier U.S. air campaign on Dec. 25, when a U.S. warship launched missiles at two suspected Islamic State camps in Nigeria.
U.S. officials had previously acknowledged a small team of troops already stationed in Nigeria. The upcoming deployment will supplement that contingent and expand efforts to help Nigerian forces better use intelligence to guide military action.
Tensions between the U.S. and Nigeria escalated late last year after Trump accused the Nigerian government of allowing mass killings of Christians in the country. At the time, Trump described the situation as “genocide” and warned that the U.S. could cut aid or increase military pressure if attacks continued.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu denied accusations of bias or negligence, claiming that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the insurgency.
Surveillance flights over Nigerian territory from Ghana had already been underway since at least November as part of a larger intelligence-gathering initiative by U.S. forces, Reuters reports.
The Nigerian military continues to battle insurgent forces in the northwestern region, where attacks on both civilian populations and military targets have intensified in recent months.
The deployment follows a shift in tone from the White House and growing criticism from prominent conservative leaders in the United States.
Nigeria, with a population of roughly 237 million, is nearly evenly divided between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south. In the country’s Middle Belt, thousands have been killed amid years of communal violence that has displaced many predominantly Christian farming villages.
Read the complete article at Christianpost.com
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