By Esther Oseyiomon
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed the arrival of about 100 United States military personnel and specialised equipment at Bauchi Airfield as part of ongoing bilateral military cooperation.
The confirmation was made in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Samaila Uba.
According to him, the visiting U.S. personnel are technical specialists assigned strictly to advisory and training roles adding that the foreign troops are not deployed for combat operations in Nigeria.
Uba explained that all training activities will be conducted under the authority and operational control of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He added that the programme will be implemented in close coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria and that the collaboration will involve joint training exercises and intelligence-focused cooperation initiative
The objective, he said, is to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian troops to identify, track and neutralise terrorist and extremist elements threatening national stability.
The DHQ spokesperson disclosed that the deployment followed bilateral working group engagements between Nigerian officials and the United States Government, based on Nigeria’s request for training, technical assistance and intelligence support.
He assured Nigerians that the Defence Headquarters remains committed to transparency while sustaining strategic international partnerships to enhance the country’s security architecture.