Five United States military aircraft and the first batch of US troops have arrived in north-east Nigeria ahead of a planned joint offensive against ISWAP fighters in the region.
According to The New York Times, a US military aircraft touched down in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Thursday night. By Friday evening, three aircraft were stationed at the airbase, with equipment being offloaded from at least one of them.
Brant Philip, a counter-terrorism researcher, said additional US military aircraft had landed at air force bases across northern Nigeria in recent days.
Earlier in the week, Reuters reported that Washington would deploy 200 troops to Nigeria to train the country’s armed forces as it confronts insurgent groups operating across parts of its territory. A US official said the incoming personnel would reinforce a small contingent of American troops already in the country.
The deployment follows deepening security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States. Ties strengthened after US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over allegations of Christian persecution.
In a post on X, Philip said six US Air Force cargo planes were deployed to West Africa over the past week as part of the security arrangement. One aircraft stopped in Ghana, while five continued to Nigeria. A sixth aircraft reportedly arrived on Saturday and is expected to head towards the north-east.
Philip said one C-17A aircraft landed at Kainji Airbase, while three C-17As and one C-130J-30 flew into Maiduguri Airbase. He added that the aircraft departed their respective bases the same day they landed.
He described Maiduguri Airbase as the likely primary hub for operations supporting the Nigerian military against ISWAP, noting that Borno remains strategically significant because insurgents control large rural areas of the state.
The deliveries, he said, may include MQ-9 Reaper drones, attack helicopters and additional US personnel.
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Security Cooperation
Last week, Dagvin Anderson, commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), visited Abuja for high-level talks.
He was received by President Bola Tinubu 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.
Discussions focused on shared security priorities, particularly countering terrorist organisations that pose threats to Nigeria, the United States and the broader region.
Anderson confirmed that US forces had already been deployed to Nigeria under an expanded bilateral security agreement but did not disclose troop numbers. He said their primary role would centre on intelligence gathering and operational support for Nigerian forces.
