United States military dispatches troops to Nigeria
According to General Dagvin R.M. Anderson head of the United States Command for Africa on Tuesday, the US military has dispatched some troops to Nigeria.
This is coming after a month since the US President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Sokoto State, northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day.
The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) had said that the strikes were conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, killing multiple ISIS militants.
This would be the first acknowledgment of US forces on the ground since the Christmas Day airstrike.
Reports have earlier suggested an intelligence-gathering surveillance flights over large areas of Nigeria since late November.
Anderson stated that the US troops were sent after both countries reached an agreement that more work needed to be done to tackle terrorist threats in the West African sub-region.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” Anderson told journalists during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Nigeria’s Defense Minister Christopher Musa who though did not provide further details, confirmed that a team was working in Nigeria.
Trump had in October designated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’, accusing the Nigerian Government of not taking drastic steps in stemming the alleged genocide against Christian population in the country.
The Nigerian government had however denied the allegation, while debunking any systematic persecution of Christians, saying instead that terrorist organizations in the country have been targeting Christians and Muslims alike.
In recent times, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters have intensified attacks on military convoys and civilians, as the northwest of the country has remained the epicentre of the insurgency.
Trump had threatened to place sanctions on Nigeria by stopping all aids and assistance to the country, as well as take military action, if the government does not move fast in tackling terrorism and protecting Christians.
The US–Nigeria Joint Working Group was recently formed to implement security agreements and tackle the growing concerns over terrorism, banditry, and targeted attacks on Christians in Nigeria.
