Pesident Trump has deployed MQ-9 drones and 200 troops to Nigeria.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the United States has deployed multiple MQ-9 Reaper drones along with about 200 troops to Nigeria to provide intelligence and training support to Nigerian forces battling insurgents across the northern region.
According to officials from both countries who spoke to Reuters, the mission is strictly focused on surveillance and advisory support. No American personnel are embedded with frontline units, and the drones are not being used to conduct airstrikes.
“The U.S. military has multiple MQ-9 drones operating in Nigeria alongside 200 troops to provide training and intelligence support to the military,” U.S. and Nigerian officials told Reuters.
The deployment was reportedly requested by Nigerian authorities to help identify, track, and respond to terrorist threats across the region.
A U.S. defence official said the initiative reflects a shared security concern between both nations. “We see this as a shared security threat,” the official said, emphasizing that the operation is limited to intelligence collection and advisory assistance.
Samaila Uba, Director of Defence Information at Nigerian Defence Headquarters, confirmed that U.S. forces are currently operating from an airfield in Bauchi in Nigeria’s northeast.
“This support builds on the newly established U.S.-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which continues to deliver actionable intelligence to our field commanders. Our U.S. partners remain in a strictly non-combat role, enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities,” he said.
The MQ-9 drones, often referred to as Reaper drones, are capable of flying at high altitude for more than 27 hours and are designed for both surveillance and strike missions. However, officials clarified that the aircraft currently deployed in Nigeria are being used solely for intelligence gathering.
“Our U.S. forces are helping Nigeria identify, track and respond to terrorist threats,” Uba added, without disclosing operational details.
The deployment comes as violence continues to escalate in Nigeria’s northeast and northwest. On March 16, suicide bombers attacked a garrison town in the northeast, highlighting the persistent threat posed by extremist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.
“We continue to assess that these organisations will seek opportunistic targets and may attempt to demonstrate relevance through high-visibility attacks,” Uba said.
Nigerian military authorities stated that the duration of the U.S. deployment will be determined jointly by both countries. The mission underscores growing intelligence-sharing and capacity-building efforts aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s response to insurgent threats.
The deployment follows earlier U.S. counterterrorism actions in the region, including airstrikes targeting ISIS-linked militants in northwest Nigeria ordered during the administration of Donald Trump. Nigerian authorities described those operations as part of a coordinated security partnership with international allies to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
Earlier reports also indicated that approximately 200 U.S. troops were deployed to support Nigeria’s military through training and intelligence cooperation as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen counterterrorism operations across the country.
