Three US military jets carrying troops and weapons have landed in Nigeria as part of a deployment aimed at enhancing the country's counter-terrorism capabilities. The aircraft, which include C-17A cargo planes and C-130J transport aircraft, arrived at Nigerian Air Force bases in Maiduguri, Borno State, and Kainji, Niger State, between February 13 and 14, 2026 ¹ ².
The deployment is part of a broader agreement between the US and Nigeria to combat terrorism and insurgency in the region. Approximately 200 US troops are expected to arrive in Nigeria over the coming weeks, with the primary focus on providing training, technical guidance, and intelligence analysis to Nigerian forces ³ ⁴.
According to Nigerian military officials, the US troops will not engage in combat operations and will operate exclusively in non-combat advisory, intelligence analysis, and training capacities. Nigerian forces will retain full command authority over all military operations conducted on sovereign territory ⁵ ¹.
The deployment follows months of diplomatic pressure from the US, particularly after President Donald Trump accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants. Nigeria has rejected allegations of religious persecution, stating that its security forces target armed groups responsible for attacks on both Christians and Muslims ⁶ ⁴.
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