Five US military aircraft along with the first group of United States troops have landed in north-east Nigeria ahead of a coordinated operation targeting ISWAP militants in the region.
According to The New York Times, a US military aircraft arrived in Maiduguri, the capital of , on Thursday night. By Friday evening, three aircraft were stationed at the base, with equipment seen being unloaded from at least one of them.
Brant Philip, a counter-terrorism researcher, disclosed that US military aircraft had landed at air force bases across northern Nigeria in recent days.
Earlier in the week, Reuters reported that the United States planned to deploy 200 troops to Nigeria to train its military as the country continues to confront insurgent groups operating in different parts of its territory. A US official stated that the incoming personnel would reinforce a small number of American troops already present in Nigeria.
The move comes amid strengthened security ties between the two countries after US President redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over claims of Christian genocide.
In a post on X, Philip revealed that six US Air Force cargo planes had been sent to West Africa within the past week as part of the security arrangement. He explained that one aircraft made a stop in Ghana, while five continued onward to Nigeria.
He added that a sixth aircraft reached Nigeria on Saturday and is expected to head toward the north-east. According to him, one C-17A aircraft landed at Kainji Airbase, while three C-17A planes and one C-130J-30 aircraft proceeded to Maiduguri Airbase in Borno. All the aircraft reportedly departed the same day they arrived.
“Maiduguri Airbase will likely be the primary base of operations for supporting the Nigerian army against ISWAP,” the analyst said.
Philip described Maiduguri as strategically important, noting that the IS affiliate controls a large portion of rural Borno. He also suggested that the cargo deliveries could include MQ-9 Reaper drones, attack helicopters, and a significant number of US troops.
SECURITY COOPERATION
Last week, , commander of (AFRICOM), visited Abuja.
He was received by President alongside Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser; Christopher Musa, minister of defence; Olufemi Oluyede, chief of defence staff; Waidi Shaibu, chief of army staff; and other senior security officials.
During the visit, both sides discussed shared security objectives, particularly efforts to combat terrorist groups threatening Nigeria, the United States, the region, and global stability.
Anderson confirmed that US forces had already been stationed in Nigeria under an expanded bilateral agreement focused on counterterrorism operations, though he did not reveal the precise number of troops deployed.
He explained that the American personnel would mainly concentrate on intelligence gathering and operational support for Nigerian forces.