The United States has deployed multiple MQ-9 drones along with 200 troops to Nigeria to provide training and intelligence assistance to the country’s military in its fight against Islamist militants, according to a report by Reuters.
Officials from both nations emphasized that the US troops are not embedded with Nigerian frontline units and that the drones are being used solely for intelligence gathering rather than conducting air strikes.
“We see this as a shared security threat,” a US defence official was quoted as saying.
Last month, TheCable reported that a drone refuelling station was among the requirements set by the US in its security partnership with Nigeria following President Donald Trump’s redesignation of the country as one of particular concern. An official familiar with the talks said Nigeria agreed to host the facility in a north-eastern state.
Following the agreement, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed that 100 US military personnel and associated equipment arrived at Bauchi airfield.
Samaila Uba, DHQ director of defence information, told Reuters that the US forces are operating their assets from the north-eastern state.
“This support builds on the newly established US-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which continues to deliver actionable intelligence to our field commanders,” he said. “Our US partners remain in a strictly non-combat role, enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities.”
Uba added that the duration of the US deployment in Nigeria will be determined in coordination with both countries.
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MQ-9 drones, also known as ‘Reaper drones,’ can loiter at high altitudes for more than 27 hours and are capable of both intelligence collection and air strikes.
While officials did not disclose specific instances where US intelligence directly aided Nigerian troops, Uba said that American forces are assisting Nigeria to “identify, track and respond to terrorist threats.”
Notably, on Christmas Day, the US reportedly launched missile strikes on two terrorist camps in the Bauni Forest in Tangaza LGA, Sokoto State. The operation involved over a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a naval vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, and sources told TheCable that drones were also involved in the strikes.
Advanced drones are capable of firing precision weapons, including rifles, missiles, or guided munitions, achieving high accuracy in operations. Late last year, US intelligence-gathering flights began over several regions in Nigeria, with aircraft typically departing from Accra, before flying over Nigerian territory and returning to Ghana, a key hub for the American military’s African logistics network.