The United States will deploy 200 troops to Nigeria to train its armed forces in their fight against militant groups, Nigerian and US officials said Tuesday, as Washington increases military cooperation with the West African country.
"We are getting US troops to assist in training and technical support," Major General Samaila Uba, a spokesman for Nigeria's Defense Headquarters, told AFP.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the deployment, which will supplement a US small team already in the country to aid the Nigerians with air strike targeting.
The additional troops, expected to arrive in the coming weeks, will provide "training and technical guidance," including by helping their Nigerian counterparts coordinate operations that involve air strikes and ground troops simultaneously, the US daily said.
A US Africa Command spokeswoman confirmed the details of the report to AFP.
The US targeted militants in northwest Sokoto state with strikes in December, in a joint operation with Nigeria, officials from both countries said.
Going forward, the US military has said it will supply intelligence for Nigerian air strikes and work to expedite arms purchases.
While the 200-troop deployment represents a scaling up of that collaboration, "US troops aren't going to be involved in direct combat or operations," Uba told the Journal.
Nigeria requested the additional assistance, he added.
