The United States has deployed multiple MQ-9 drones along with around 200 troops to Nigeria to provide intelligence and training support to the Nigerian military in its ongoing fight against insurgents in the northern region.
The mission is focused strictly on surveillance and advisory roles, with no US personnel embedded in frontline units and no drone airstrikes being conducted.
“The U.S. military has multiple MQ-9 drones operating in Nigeria alongside 200 troops to provide training and intelligence support to the military,” Nigerian and US officials said.
The deployment, requested by Nigerian authorities, aims to help identify, track, and respond to terrorist threats in the region. Major General Samaila Uba, director of defence information at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, confirmed that US forces are operating from Bauchi airfield in the northeast.
“This support builds on the newly established U.S.-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which delivers actionable intelligence to our field commanders. Our US partners remain in a strictly non-combat role, enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities,” Uba said.
MQ-9 drones, also known as Reaper drones, can loiter at high altitude for over 27 hours and are capable of both intelligence gathering and strike missions, though the current deployment is exclusively for surveillance purposes.
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The deployment comes amid escalating violence in Nigeria’s northeast and northwest, including a March 16 suicide bombing in a garrison town, highlighting the ongoing threat from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The duration of the US deployment will be determined in coordination with Nigerian authorities, emphasizing intelligence-sharing and capacity-building to counter evolving insurgent threats.
