The United States has deployed multiple MQ-9 drones and about 200 troops to Nigeria to support the fight against Islamist militants, according to US and Nigerian officials who spoke to Reuters.
US offcials said the troops are not embedded with Nigerian
frontline units, while the drones are focused solely on intelligence gathering
and are not conducting airstrikes.
The US military previously operated a $100 million drone
base in neighboring Niger Republic, with about 1,000 troops tracking militant
activity across the Sahel.
However, the facility was shut down in 2024 after Niger’s
military government ordered US forces to leave.
A US defence official said the drones were deployed
alongside troops at Nigeria’s request, primarily to support
intelligence-gathering efforts.
“We see this as a shared security threat,” the official told
Reuters.
Major General Samaila Uba, Director of Defence Information
at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, confirmed that US assets are being operated
from the Bauchi airfield in the North-East.
“This support builds on the newly established US-Nigeria
intelligence fusion cell, which continues to deliver actionable intelligence to
our field commanders,” he told Reuters.
“Our US partners remain in a strictly non-combat role,
enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities.”
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