US Bolsters Nigeria’s Defense with Drones and Troops to Counter Boko Haram Resurgence

The United States has dispatched MQ-9 Reaper drones to Nigeria amidst rising concerns over a potential resurgence of the extremist group Boko Haram, as reported by a U.S. defense official to The Associated Press.

This drone deployment comes on the heels of 200 American troops arriving in Nigeria last month with the mission of offering training and intelligence support. Nigeria, recognized as Africa’s most populous nation, is grappling with a multifaceted security crisis, particularly challenging in its northern regions.

A representative of AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command, conveyed to the AP that U.S. forces are collaborating closely with Nigerian military personnel. Their role involves providing intelligence support, offering advisory assistance, and conducting specialized training to bolster the capabilities of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Among the major Islamic militant factions in Nigeria are Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which aligns itself with the Islamic State.

NIGERIA SUICIDE BOMBINGS RESULT IN AT LEAST 23 FATALITIES, WITH OVER 100 INJURED

A U.S. military MQ-9 Reaper drone approaches for landing at Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images)

There is also the ISIS-linked Lakurawa, as well as other “bandit” groups that specialize in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining. 

The U.S. troops and the MQ-9 drones are based at Bauchi Airfield, a newly built airport in the northeast of the country, the spokesperson said to the AP. The number of drones deployed remains unclear. 

The deployment is part of a new security partnership agreed on after President Donald Trump sounded the alarm about Christians being slaughtered in Nigeria’s security crisis. 

The U.S. launched strikes against IS forces on Dec. 26 — the day after Christmas.

Earlier this month, three suspected suicide bombings killed at least 23 people and wounded 108 others in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state in northeastern Nigeria. No group claimed responsibility, but suspicion quickly fell on Boko Haram, which in 2009 launched an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria to enforce Sharia law.

100 US TROOPS LAND IN NIGERIA AS ISLAMIC MILITANTS THREATEN WEST AFRICA REGIONAL SECURITY 

Residents and a motorcyclist move between destroyed structures in Offa on Dec. 27, 2025, caused by debris from expended munitions that fell from U.S. strikes on unspecified militants linked to the Islamic State group in Nigeria. (Abiodun Jamiu/AFP via Getty Images)

MQ-9 drones cost around $30 million apiece and have separate models for land and sea. They can also be used to carry out airstrikes, but AFRICOM says they will only be used in Nigeria for intelligence-gathering and training. 

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence says Boko Haram aims to “overthrow the current Nigerian Government and replace it with a regime based on Islamic law.” 

A policeman walks among protesters as civil society groups and the Nigeria Labour Congress hold a peaceful protest over insecurity in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, on Dec. 17, 2025. (Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“The U.S. State Department designated Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization in November 2013,” it added.