US Military Pledges Enhanced Intelligence Sharing and Equipment Support for Nigeria

The United States military has stepped up the supply of equipment and intelligence sharing with Nigeria as part of a wider effort to support African forces in tackling militants linked to the Islamic State, according to the deputy commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM).

Lieutenant General John Brennan said the Pentagon is also maintaining communication with the armed forces of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, despite those Sahel countries being governed by military juntas.

He explained that the expanded cooperation with Nigeria comes amid Washington’s growing concern over jihadist violence and a more assertive US posture toward Islamic State-affiliated groups across Africa.

Under the Trump administration, Brennan said the US military has become more aggressive in working with partners to carry out kinetic operations against ISIS-linked threats. “From Somalia to Nigeria, these challenges are interconnected. Our aim is to disrupt these networks and provide partners with the intelligence they need to succeed,” he said.

According to him, the focus has been on empowering partner nations by easing restrictions and supplying them with equipment and operational capabilities to improve their effectiveness.

The renewed collaboration follows the first US–Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting held in Abuja last week, which came about a month after the US carried out surprise airstrikes on Christmas Day against Islamic State-linked targets in northwest Nigeria.

While both countries appear eager to deepen security cooperation, tensions remain over US diplomatic pressure regarding claims of mass killings of Christians in Nigeria. Nigerian authorities and independent analysts have rejected that characterisation, arguing that the country’s conflicts are complex and not solely religious in nature.

Religious sensitivity surfaced during the Abuja meeting when a senior US State Department official urged Nigeria to protect Christians, without referencing Muslim victims of violence. Nigeria is almost evenly divided between a largely Muslim north and a largely Christian south, and while many communities coexist peacefully, religious and ethnic identities remain sensitive issues.

Brennan clarified that US intelligence support would not be limited to the protection of any single religious group. He said American assistance would focus heavily on intelligence sharing to support Nigerian air operations in both the northwest and the northeast, where Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have waged an insurgency since 2009.

He described ISWAP as the most concerning militant group currently operating in the region. Recent months have seen increased US intelligence flights over Nigeria, though some analysts question whether air power alone can defeat armed groups that benefit from poverty and weak state presence in rural areas.

Brennan said future cooperation would cover extensive intelligence sharing, joint operational methods, and support for Nigeria to acquire additional equipment. The earlier US strikes, he noted, targeted militants linked to Islamic State Sahel Province, a group typically active in neighbouring Niger but feared to be expanding toward coastal West Africa.

The effectiveness of the strikes remains unclear, with no independent confirmation of casualties. Nigeria’s information minister recently described the outcome as “still a work in progress.”

Beyond Nigeria, Brennan said the US continues to share intelligence with military authorities in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, even though formal security cooperation has been reduced following coups that overthrew civilian governments between 2020 and 2023.

“We still engage our military counterparts across the Sahel and have shared information to help target key terrorist threats, even if the cooperation is not official,” he said.

He also stressed that the US is not seeking to establish new military bases in West Africa following its withdrawal from Niger. Instead, he said Washington’s priority is delivering the right capabilities at the right time, without pursuing long-term basing arrangements in the region.