US to Withdraw 200 Troops from Nigeria as Counterterrorism Mission Winds Down

The United States is preparing to withdraw approximately 200 troops deployed to Nigeria earlier this year to support the fight against Islamist militants, as its counterterrorism mission in the country winds down. The withdrawal is expected to be completed by late September, according to a report by The New York Times citing US military officials. However, the departure of the larger contingent will not end US security cooperation with Nigeria, as smaller teams of military trainers and intelligence analysts are expected to remain in the country.

The US troops were deployed to northeastern Nigeria in February following an agreement between Washington and Abuja to strengthen cooperation against terrorist groups. The deployment followed US airstrikes in Nigeria’s Sokoto State in late December 2025, which President Donald Trump described as “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State targets. Nigerian officials confirmed at the time that the country had provided intelligence for those strikes as part of ongoing security collaboration with the US. According to a US official who spoke to Reuters in February, approximately 200 American soldiers were sent to train Nigerian forces combating extremist groups, augmenting a smaller number of US personnel already on the ground. The deployment came amid pressure from Washington on Nigeria to act against militants in the country’s northwest, following Trump’s criticism that Nigeria had failed to protect Christians from attacks. The focus of the mission was on intelligence support, training, and counterterrorism operations, rather than establishing a permanent US combat presence in Nigeria.

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US and Nigerian officials have described the relatively small deployment as highly effective, particularly in improving intelligence sharing and supporting operations against Islamic State militants. The mission culminated in May with a major operational success. On May 15, US and Nigerian forces carried out a joint operation that killed Abu Bilal al-Minuki, described by US officials as the “global number two” leader of the Islamic State. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation, stating that joint forces had struck al-Minuki’s residence in the Lake Chad Basin, killing the wanted militant and several of his deputies. Trump praised the mission as “carefully planned and extremely complex,” adding that the US had informants tracking al-Minuki’s movements. Following al-Minuki’s death, on May 17, Nigerian and US forces conducted multiple airstrikes in northeastern Borno State, killing more than 20 Islamic State militants who had been observed gathering and moving in the area. The US Africa Command stated that no American or Nigerian personnel were injured in those strikes, and that the operations had weakened the group’s ability to threaten US and allied security. US officials have described the Nigeria deployment as a potential model for future American security operations in Africa, based on a smaller and temporary military footprint focused on specific objectives. The operation against al-Minuki significantly weakened the group’s leadership in Nigeria and beyond, according to military assessments.

Despite the reported gains, terrorist attacks and other forms of insecurity have continued across Nigeria. Recent weeks have seen deadly assaults by gunmen in multiple parts of the country, as well as attacks on military installations in the northeast. The wider security situation encompasses a complex mix of threats, including attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, banditry, kidnappings, communal violence, and other armed conflicts. Nigeria has repeatedly maintained that the country’s insecurity is complex and cannot be attributed to a single cause. While the US withdrawal is underway, military cooperation between Washington and Abuja is expected to continue through intelligence sharing and training provided by the smaller US teams that remain in Nigeria.

US to Withdraw 200 Troops from Nigeria as Counterterrorism Mission Winds Down

This Is Not Christian Genocide – NSCIA, Says Borgu Attacks Show Nigeria Bleeds from All Sides

Nigeria’s top Islamic body says the attack on Muslim worshippers counters claims of Christian genocide, urging a collective national response to terrorism.

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks on four communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, where worshippers observing Jumu’at prayers were killed, injured, and abducted. The Islamic body also used the incident to challenge narratives that frame Nigeria’s security crisis as a genocide against Christians, arguing that the savagery against Muslims demonstrates the need for a unified national response.

The attacks, which occurred on Friday, August 21, 2026, affected Gbeji (Gidan-Zana), Kpenya, Giyan Gbasu and Dekara communities. In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Public Affairs Officer, Abbas Jimoh, the NSCIA described the attacks as “heinous and barbaric.” The Council, under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, expressed deep distress that terrorists invaded the communities, unleashing violence and terror on defenceless residents.

The attack on Dekara was particularly disturbing, as assailants reportedly entered the Central Mosque while Muslims were observing Jumu’at prayers and abducted more than 60 people. According to the NSCIA, about 30 people were reportedly killed, while several others sustained injuries, some of them said to be life-threatening. Residents confirmed that terrorists simultaneously invaded Juma’at mosques in Dekara, Kpenya, Gbezhin and Sabon-Gida, whisking away dozens of worshippers. The Council added that dozens of victims were still being held captive, with the terrorists later releasing a video showcasing the captives and calling on survivors to identify their loved ones.

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The NSCIA considers the deliberate invasion of a mosque during Jumu’at prayers and the abduction of worshippers a heinous assault not only on innocent Nigerians but also a grievous attack on the sanctity of worship and the fundamental right of citizens to practise their faith without fear. The council argued that the incident showed the complexity of insecurity in the country and challenged narratives that portray the violence as being exclusively targeted at Christians. “This horrendous savagery against innocent Muslims observing the Jumu’ah prayer also points to the factual error that the insecurity in parts of the country is genocidal against Christians, which would hinder the much needed collective efforts to tackle the scourge,” the NSCIA declared.

The council questioned the ability of security agencies to prevent terrorists from repeatedly targeting vulnerable settlements, asking: “For how long will innocent Muslims in particular and Nigerians in general continue to be abducted and slaughtered in their communities while terrorists operate with such audacity?” According to the council, the latest attack was reportedly the third major attack on Dekara and neighbouring communities in recent times, with previous attacks forcing residents to abandon their ancestral homes and seek refuge in other communities in Niger and Kwara states and even across the border in the Republic of Benin.

The NSCIA also expressed concern that the latest incident occurred barely three weeks after security forces reportedly rescued 308 abducted persons from the Kainji Lake National Park forest. On August 5, 2026, Nigerian security forces rescued 163 persons abducted from Woro in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State and 145 persons from communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, including Kasuwan Daji, Konkonso and Pissa. The council said the rescue operation demonstrated what security forces could achieve when adequate resources, intelligence, coordination and political will were available. However, the renewed attacks raise deeply troubling questions about the reversal and sustainability of the gains made.

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The NSCIA consequently urged the Federal Government to move beyond what it described as episodic rescue operations and develop a permanent, intelligence-driven and community-centred security architecture. It called for an immediate review of security arrangements in Niger and Kwara states, particularly communities around the Kainji Lake National Park and forest corridors allegedly being used by terrorists. The Council noted that Niger State Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago had previously admitted that terrorists had taken over the Kainji National Park, from where they launch incessant attacks on communities within the Borgu kingdom. The NSCIA also demanded the immediate mobilisation of all available resources to locate and rescue every person still held captive following the August 21 attack, stressing that the rescue of these victims must be treated as an urgent national priority.

The council further urged security agencies to intensify aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, early-warning systems and coordinated ground operations, insisting that forests and other difficult terrains being used as sanctuaries by terrorists must no longer be treated as inaccessible spaces. It called on state governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders and local communities to strengthen cooperation with security agencies and protect residents who provide actionable intelligence. The Council also advocated the proper regulation and integration of community vigilante structures operating within the law into broader early-warning and community-protection mechanisms.

Furthermore, the NSCIA called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Council, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Interior and other relevant security agencies to treat the Borgu attacks as a national emergency requiring coordinated intervention. President Tinubu has already directed the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and all relevant security and intelligence agencies to launch a coordinated rescue operation for the victims still in captivity, stating that “those who carried out this cowardly attack on defenceless Nigerians are enemies of peace and enemies of humanity, who will not go scot-free.” The Inspector General of Police has deployed a senior officer to coordinate the rescue efforts in collaboration with other security agencies.

Survivors of the attack are reportedly battling life-threatening injuries, with some having been brutally slaughtered rather than shot. The NSCIA extended condolences to families of those killed, prayed for the recovery of the injured and expressed solidarity with families whose loved ones remain in captivity. “We also stand in solidarity with the families whose loved ones remain in captivity and urge them not to lose hope,” it said. “Nigerians have every right to demand security, justice and accountability from those entrusted with protecting them.” The council also urged Muslims in Niger State and across the country to remain steadfast in their faith: “Let us be resolute and not be subdued by terror.”

“This Is Not Christian Genocide”: NSCIA Says Borgu Attacks Show Nigeria Bleeds from All Sides