United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Congress that Washington is now actively cooperating with the Nigerian government and Nigerian security forces in the fight against terrorism. As reported on Channels Television, the comments came during a congressional hearing on the Trump administration's foreign policy, where Rubio was responding to questions about American efforts on the continent and the security situation in Nigeria.
According to Rubio, that cooperation already included a joint operation carried out a couple of weeks earlier that, in his words, took out the number two leader of global ISIS operating from inside Nigeria, adding that the engagement continues. The strike, conducted in mid-May, targeted the deputy of the Islamic State and was the result of a combined effort between American forces and the Nigerian military in the wider Lake Chad region.
The remarks landed against the backdrop of a heated debate that had played out in recent months over violence in Nigeria, including claims and counter-claims about whether there had been targeted killings of Christians and accusations of genocide. That argument, the programme noted, had been all over the place, generating reports and a wave of public engagement by the Nigerian federal government with Washington.
Part of the shift, analysts on the show observed, came alongside the arrival of a new United States ambassador to Nigeria, after a period in which the post had been vacant. They suggested that a great deal of behind-the-scenes diplomacy appeared to have worked in the favour of the federal government, helping to move the relationship from public dispute toward open security cooperation.
The discussion also turned to the presence of American military personnel on Nigerian soil, with estimates of between roughly one hundred and two hundred troops deployed in the country. The panel said questions remained about exactly what those forces were there to do, noting the stated purpose was to train Nigerian personnel, support their operations and help provide equipment rather than to take over the fight.
Recent weeks have seen a series of concrete operations cited as evidence of the deepening partnership. Beyond the killing of the ISIS deputy, Nigerian forces working with the United States Africa Command carried out further strikes against Islamic State West Africa Province positions in the north east, including an air strike in Borno State that left a large number of suspected fighters dead.
Even so, the programme's panel cautioned that such cooperation often follows what they described as American strategic objectives, raising the question of whether Washington is fully committed to ending the insurgency or pursuing more limited goals. For now, Rubio's testimony marks a notable shift, with the United States publicly framing Nigeria as an active counterterrorism partner after months of friction over how the country's security crisis should be understood.