The United States military has confirmed the deployment of a small contingent of troops to Nigeria marking the first public acknowledgment of US forces on the ground since airstrikes against Islamic State camps in North-east Nigeria in December 2025. The deployment, announced by AFRICOM chief Dagvin Anderson, follows a bilateral agreement with Nigeria to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation though details on personnel numbers, missions, and locations remain undisclosed.

Nigerian Defence Minister Christopher Musa also confirmed the presence of US troops. The move comes amid escalating attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North-east, North-west, and North-central regions, which already face banditry and communal conflicts. The US has additionally conducted aerial surveillance from Ghana, while Nigerian authorities have urged Washington to focus on dismantling terrorist networks rather than narratives that could deepen religious divisions.