Nigeria says 100 more U.S. military personnel arrive to tackle Islamists

DAKAR, Nigeria – About 100 U.S. military personnel have arrived in Nigeria as Washington scales up an operation to target Islamist insurgents, a Nigerian defense spokesperson said.

President Donald Trump has accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants in the northwest.

Nigeria denies discriminating against any religion, saying its security forces target armed groups that attack both Christians and Muslims.

The U.S. carried out strikes targeting Islamic State-linked militants in December, and a small U.S. military team has been operating on the ground to boost Nigeria’s intelligence capabilities.

In recent days, several planes carrying U.S. troops and equipment have headed to Nigeria’s northern states, according to flight tracking data reviewed by Reuters.

Major General Samaila Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, said the troops would train and advise local forces, but not take part in combat.

Earlier this month, Nigeria’s military said it expected around 200 more U.S. troops.

Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare said Nigeria needed “massive support from the U.S. government” in terms of fighter jets and munitions, but declined to give numbers or a time frame.

Nigeria’s 240 million people are evenly split between Christians mainly in the south and Muslims mainly in the north.

It acknowledges serious security problems, including from Islamist fighters, but denies that Christians face widespread or systematic persecution.

Assailants kill at least 30, residents say

Armed assailants on motorbikes killed at least 30 people and burned houses and shops during raids on three villages in northwest Nigeria’s Niger State early on Saturday, residents who escaped the violence told Reuters.

The attacks on villages in the Borgu Local Government Area, near the border with Benin Republic, are part of a surge in attacks blamed on “bandits,” who have carried out deadly assaults, abductions for ransom, and displaced communities across northern Nigeria.