Breaking: US Deploys MQ-9 Drones, Troops to Nigeria Shortly After Borno Bomb Explosion
- The United States military deployed multiple MQ-9 drones and 200 troops to Nigeria to provide training and intelligence support to the Nigerian military
- Major General Samaila Uba confirmed that US assets operated from Bauchi airfield and delivered actionable intelligence through the US-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell
- US and Nigerian officials said the deployment aimed to help Nigeria “identify, track and respond to terrorist threats” amid attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP
The United States has deployed multiple MQ-9 drones and 200 troops to Nigeria to provide training and intelligence support to the country’s military, which is battling Islamist militants across the north, US and Nigerian officials told Reuters.
Officials stressed that the US troops are not embedded with Nigerian frontline units and that the drones are strictly used for intelligence gathering, not airstrikes.
Source: UGC
Deployment marks renewed US involvement in West Africa
The move follows US airstrikes targeting militants in northwest Nigeria in late 2025 and signals Washington’s renewed engagement against Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked insurgencies spreading across West Africa.
Previously, the U.S. maintained a $100 million drone base in neighbouring Niger with roughly 1,000 troops monitoring Sahel militants, but it was closed in 2024 after the Niger junta requested their departure.
An attack by suiclde bombers this week on a garrison town in northeastern Nigeria highlighted the persistent threat posed by the 17-year insurgency, while militants have also increased attacks near the northwest borders with Benin and Niger.
US and Nigeria frame deployment as shared security effort
A US defence official said the deployment of drones and troops came at Nigeria’s request to collect intelligence. “We see this as a shared security threat,” the official told Reuters.
Major General Samaila Uba, director of defence information at Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, confirmed that U.S. assets are operating from Bauchi airfield in the northeast.
“This support builds on the newly established U.S.-Nigeria intelligence fusion cell, which continues to deliver actionable intelligence to our field commanders. Our U.S. partners remain in a strictly non-combat role, enabling operations led by Nigerian authorities," Major General Uba said.
Identify, track and respond
Major General Uba noted that the timeline for US operations in Nigeria will be agreed upon by both sides. MQ-9 drones, also known as Reaper drones, can loiter at high altitudes for more than 27 hours and are capable of intelligence gathering and airstrikes.
While neither Uba nor the U.S. official commented on specific instances where U.S. intelligence had led to Nigerian military action, Uba said US forces are helping Nigeria “identify, track and respond to terrorist threats.”
Earlier reports indicated that U.S. aircraft based in Ghana had conducted intelligence flights over Nigeria last year.
Militants remain a persistent threat
The United States, a long-term partner of Nigeria’s military in training and arms sales, conducted airstrikes in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day to prevent attacks against Christian communities.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria’s government and conflict experts have rejected claims of a targeted anti-Christian campaign, stressing that the crisis is complex. The perpetrators of the March 16 attack on the garrison town remain unclear.
Major General Uba added that Boko Haram and ISWAP, the Islamic State-allied faction, continue to pose a serious threat.
“We continue to assess that these organisations will seek opportunistic targets and may attempt to demonstrate relevance through high-visibility attacks,” he said.
Airstrikes in Nigeria: Pentagon thanks FG
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the US Department of War publicly thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation following recent air strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in north-west Nigeria.
It warned that further military action might follow, after President Donald Trump authorised a new operation amid deepening security coordination between Washington and Abuja under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Source: Legit.ng
