The United States military is increasing the provision of equipment and intelligence support to Nigeria as part of a broader effort to work with African forces to combat Islamic State (IS)-linked militant groups.
This was disclosed by the Deputy Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), Lt. Gen. John Brennan, in an interview with AFP on the sidelines of a US–Nigeria security meeting held in Abuja last week.
According to Brennan, Washington has adopted a more aggressive posture in targeting IS-linked groups across the continent under the Trump administration.
“Under the Trump administration, we’ve gotten a lot more aggressive and are working with partners to target, kinetically, the threats, mainly ISIS,” he said.
“From Somalia to Nigeria, the problem set is connected. So we’re trying to take it apart and then provide partners with the information they need.”
Brennan said the United States is focusing on empowering partner countries by providing equipment and operational capabilities with fewer restrictions.
“It’s been about more enabling partners and then providing them equipment and capabilities with less restrictions so that they can be more successful,” he added.
The inaugural US–Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting followed surprise Christmas Day air strikes carried out by the United States on IS-linked targets in northwestern Nigeria.
Brennan said future American support would prioritise intelligence sharing to assist Nigerian air operations in both the northwest and northeast, where Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have waged an insurgency since 2009. He described ISWAP as “our most concerning group.”
The renewed military cooperation comes amid diplomatic pressure from Washington over claims of mass killings of Christians in Nigeria, a narrative rejected by Abuja and several analysts, who argue that Nigeria’s security challenges cut across religious lines.
The issue reportedly came up at the Joint Working Group meeting, where US State Department official Allison Hooker urged Nigeria to protect Christians in a speech that did not reference Muslim victims. Brennan, however, stressed that US intelligence support would not be limited to the protection of Christians.
Analysts have noted increased US intelligence flights over Nigeria in recent months but questioned whether air support alone can significantly weaken militant groups operating in regions marked by poverty and weak state presence.
The initial US strikes reportedly targeted fighters linked to Islamic State Sahel Province, a group more active in neighbouring Niger. Brennan warned that the expansion of IS-linked groups from the Sahel into coastal West African countries, including Nigeria, remains a growing concern.
The impact of the strikes remains unclear, with journalists unable to independently verify casualty figures. Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said last week that the operation was “still a work in progress.”
Brennan also revealed that the US continues to maintain communication with the militaries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, despite the countries being under military rule and having reduced formal cooperation with Western partners.
“We still collaborate,” he said, noting that intelligence has been shared with some of the countries to target terrorist groups.
He further stressed that Washington has no plans to establish new military bases in West Africa following the closure of its drone base in Agadez, Niger.
“We’re not in the market to create a drone base anywhere,” Brennan said. “We are much more focused on getting capability to the right place at the right time and then leaving.”