US Troops Begin to Arrive in Nigeria

About 100 U.S. troops have landed in Nigeria to aid the African nation in its fight against radical Islamic terrorism. 

The troops will focus on training and advising the local army, according to a statement from the Nigerian military on Monday.  

Another 100 U.S. troops are expected to arrive in Nigeria soon as the two countries work to combat the threat Islamist groups pose to the nation’s Christian communities.  

More than 50,000 Christians are estimated have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, and about 7,000 in the first half of 2025 alone, most at the hands of either the terror group Boko Haram or Muslim Fulani militants.   

President Donald Trump has drawn attention to the killings since returning to the White House, and designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over the slaughter of Christians.  

In October, Trump tasked a handful of members of Congress, including Rep. Riley Moore, “to immediately look into” the situation in Nigeria and report back to him.  

“Working with the administration, we are making steps in the right direction to address this persecution,” Moore said during an interview on Fox News last week.  

The U.S. and Nigeria have signed a “security cooperation road map,” according to Moore, who is advocating for each state within Nigeria to have a police force to protect its residents.  

Boko Haram and the Islamic State have historically carried out many of the attacks on Christians, but more recently, ethnic Fulani militias have also begun attacking Christian communities in the African nation. 

The Nigerian government has acknowledged that it needs U.S. support to combat the violence inside the country.