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The arrival followed a request by the Nigerian government to the
U.S government for help with training, technical support and
intelligence-sharing, the military said in a statement.
The deployment follows an easing of tensions that flared between
the U.S. and Nigeria when U.S. President Donald Trump said the
country wasn’t protecting Christians from an alleged genocide.
The Nigerian government has rejected the accusation, and
analysts say it simplifies a very complicated situation in which
people are often targeted regardless of their faith.
Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, spokesman for Nigeria’s Defense
Headquarters, previously has said that the U.S. troops won't
engage in combat or have a direct operational role, and that
Nigerian forces will have complete command authority.
In December, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on Islamic State
group-affiliated militants in northwestern Nigeria. Last month,
following discussions with Nigerian authorities in Abuja, the
head of U.S. Africa Command confirmed a small team of U.S.
military officers were in Nigeria, focused on intelligence
support.
Nigeria is facing a protracted fight with dozens of local armed
groups increasingly battling for turf, including Islamic sects
like the homegrown Boko Haram and its breakaway faction Islamic
State West Africa Province. There is also the IS-linked Lakurawa,
as well as other “bandit” groups that specialize in kidnapping
for ransom and illegal mining.
Recently, the crisis has worsened to include other militants
from the neighboring Sahel region, including the Jama’at Nusrat
al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which claimed its first attack on
Nigerian soil last year. Several thousand people in Nigeria have
been killed, according to data from the United Nations. Analysts
say not enough is being done by the government to protect its
citizens.
While Christians have been among those targeted, analysts and
residents say the majority of victims of the armed groups are
Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north, where most attacks
occur.
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