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Three United States aircraft carrying troops and equipment have reportedly arrived in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
According to the New York Times, the first plane touched down on Thursday night. Officials from both countries indicated that the initial batch of roughly 100 U.S. troops is expected to arrive in Nigeria over the weekend.
By Friday evening, three planes had reportedly landed in Maiduguri, with equipment being offloaded from one of them.
These arrivals mark the beginning of a series of C-17 cargo flights to three different locations across Nigeria, a U.S. Defense Department official told the newspaper on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of operational details.
Additional aircraft transporting personnel and equipment are scheduled to arrive over the weekend, with more flights planned in the coming weeks, the official added.
Major General Samaila Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, clarified that the U.S. troops would not engage in combat operations. He told the Wall Street Journal and later confirmed to the New York Times that:
“These personnel do not serve in a combat capacity and will not assume a direct operational role. Nigerian forces retain full command authority, make all operational decisions, and will lead all missions on Nigerian sovereign territory.”
According to Mr. Uba, the deployment follows recommendations by a U.S.-Nigeria joint working group, with the forces serving in an advisory role at multiple sites.
The deployment comes after months of mounting pressure from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who criticized Nigeria’s government for what he describes as its failure to adequately protect Christians from attacks by Islamist militants and armed groups.
